Time to refocus

I am back at work, feeling slightly better and over most of the physical symptoms of my miscarriage, so I figured it's time to change my focus a bit.

My goal for the next little while is to get on top of my veggie garden and the whole 'green living' thing. I came across this blog from a newsletter I subscribe to and I really liked this bit -

"Reduce: Slow down your purchasing and consumption overall. Start asking yourself, do I really need it? Will I be happier having it? Why am I buying or using this? How many hours do I need to work to pay for this? This is an easy first step to start being an ecologically conscious consumer."

I particularly like the bit in bold; how many hours do I need to work to pay for this? It is a good way to think about the true value, to you, of whatever the item is.

We live in such a consumer driven society. We shop for pleasure, to reduce our misery, for that temporary good feeling etc. We buy stuff because it was on sale, not because we need it. We throw away copious amounts of unused, spoiled food and other stuff that we bring into our lives without thinking about.

So it's got me thinking about what it is I want from life. I have long been attracted to the idea of voluntary simplicity or frugality. My trouble is convincing DH to join me on the journey.

To be honest, I am still sad about the miscarriage. I am still sad about the one I had 14 months ago, but with time, the pain eases, the grieving slows and I know I will be OK. I will always be sad at the lost opportunity, the potential children that never were, but I will be OK.

I like the idea of grounding myself by digging in the soil, feeling the sun on my back and making changes that I know are good for me, good for my family and good for the long term sustainability of the planet (as daggy as that sounds).