Waiting for justice with bated breath

19
Apr

This is an intense time. It’s a painful time. It’s a period of difficult conversations, a tragic pandemic, and senseless loss of life at the hands of those who are sworn to protect us.

It’s overwhelming.

It’s disheartening.

In the face of all this it’s hard to know what to do, even as you feel the need to DO SOMETHING.

Sometimes the “something” is giving yourself time and space to go for a walk outside.

Sometimes it’s joining others to stand against injustice and violence.

Most often for me, it’s using paint to process those multilayered things on the inside onto a multilayered page on the outside.

Impromptu tools that got whipped out in response to the awful news of the killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, MN.

Dear People of Color, You deserve so much better.

When I am able to settle down and consider that God might also have an interest in the goings-on, I remember that prayers don’t have to follow a certain formula (whew! ’cause that ship has sailed) or contain a specific order (again, that would be a losing game). It can be a great heaving sigh, weeping, rage, crying out. Even the act of turning my face in the direction of prayer is good enough…which is lucky because there are many days when that’s just about all I can muster.

What I know for sure is that God is close to the brokenhearted.

God is interested in justice.

God will mend that which is broken.

But how long, oh Lord, as the Good Book says. How long?

Question: Jesus, what does love require of me?

Answer: To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. -Micah 6:8

Its somewhat ironic that this is the final breath prayer of the whole series started by Osheta Moore. And I’m getting to the end of this documentation as the jury has just started their deliberations in the Derrick Chauvin trial of the murder of Mr. George Floyd. Mr. Floyd, who had the air choked out of him by a police officer, who cried “I can’t breathe” much like we’ve heard other black men cry out at the hands of police officers. Don’t mis-hear me: I’m not here to argue whether there are any good police officers — although I think we need to take a long look at how we got where we are, which must include looking at racist policies. Primarily right now, I’m asking white people like me to acknowledge the reality that police officers (most oftentimes white police officers) have exerted unjustified force that caused the death of individuals of color. I can’t even begin to bring the recent killing of 13-year-old Adam Toldeo in Chicago into this; it breaks my mothering heart into fragments.

So I will continue to turn my face towards God. In my prayers I’ll argue, ignore, lambaste, wrestle, lament, and implore. I’m not sure what I think about what are the external results of prayer, but I know it’s attuning my heart with God’s heart (I think that’s a song?) and so, helping me do good in the world.

Please join me in praying for Minnesota., and specifically for our brothers and sisters of color who have been denied justice too many times.

Amen and amen.

Special thanks to Osheta Moore and her breath prayers that inspired this entire thing. She’s got a forthcoming book you should watch for and consider pre-ordering: Dear White Peacemakers from Herald Press. It will be released in May, 2021.

Breath prayers: for those tragic times when breath prayers are all you’ve got

20
Mar

Breath prayers are very useful in times of distress, in times of heartache, in times of grief. In those times, it’s often all you can do to muster any energy at all, and the thought of praying might be difficult, especially if something you desperately, earnestly prayed for did not happen, or when the dense darkness seems like it might never ebb.

In those times you might still want to believe in the faith you formerly had, but something shifted. The assurance you had might feel wobbly, uncertain. You have enough experience to know that faith doesn’t always run hot, and there are seasons of dryness that don’t last forever even though they feel that way. A breath prayer is a way of joining back into that larger choir of faith and trusting that its voice is large enough to carry the song.

Then someone commits a heinous act. And it hits even harder because it’s someone who espouses a belief in that same faith, as it did last week in Atlanta.

I want to disassociate from that faith collective. The last four years have already given so many reasons to argue about the state of the church in society, the upside down way the American church has come to be represented and/or co-opted. And now a white man buys a gun and that same day goes to two separate locations and shoots eight people, six of whom are of Asian descent. I know we’re holding off on labelling anything and the situation might be complex…but it seems like there’s something there to label.

Everything in you cries out in pain, in outrage. Why do people engage in these acts of violence against one another?

There are so many layers to this atrocity. It’s disheartening to see people get caught up in arguing whether it was one kind of crime or another. One thing we should be able to agree on is that when disparaging language is used against a people group from leaders in high positions, those words influence people, inspiring them to higher goals or unleashing latent bigotry. Those words matter.

Your heart is with the oppressed. / Align my heart with yours.

And now there’s news of a terrible mass shooting in Colorado. I’m afraid to find out more.

A breath prayer seems like a very meager offering, but in the face of such a culmination of hatefulness, it’s a fine, golden thread of connection to something bigger.

Holy Light, Let me learn your name in all languages.

This blackout poem from Rumi says…

To say more of your names: you are the one who was with us at the beginning, telling secrets in the first house. / We were afraid, but then we found your flame. / That city, with friends, friendship. The standing apart, or right in the middle, resembling both. / You are those stories. / You bring dawn to the end of the night. / Beauty that originates. Praise and the light-connecting ligaments that hold this earth.

That’s what a breath prayer is right now in this dark time. It is a way of remembering there is a dawn at the end of night. It is a trust in the light-connecting ligaments that holds this earth.

For right now, that’s got to be enough, because on the surface there doesn’t appear to by a lot of anything else to hold on to.

These breath prayers were inspired by Osheta Moore. She has provided most of them, and I have supplemented a few of my own when I missed her. You can read the introduction here.

The little I have is yours: another breath prayer

19
Dec

Aka When all you have to offer is a tolerance for pain, a coupla college credits, and a top-notch brain

Lest anyone think I’m trying to pass off the title of this post as my own, I hope you recognized it from Hamilton.

I’m trying to keep going with these breath prayers but I gotta tell you — it’s a challenge. There’s a lot of internal arguing with God in my head, and a lot of frustration with the way things are both on the individual and grand scales. It’s not that I think things are malfunctioning; it’s that I’m not sure the system was designed properly. Arrogant, I know, and I’m not trying to say I could do any better. I’m just here to point out that the way things are ain’t great. Yah, just what you needed to hear. You’re welcome?

Jesus, the little I have is yours.

Right now I don’t feel like I have a lot to offer. In the past, when words have failed me, paint has been the conduit through which I processed all those things that troubled or perplexed. Since these days just about everything trouble and perplexes me, it makes sense to offer these visual prayers in lieu of any analysis I could hope to toss out. So paint it is…

Part of what makes these such difficult times is that the circumstances we find ourselves in have revealed longstanding rifts in our society, as well as deep inequities and discriminatory attitudes, whether that’s about race, age, or status. The people at the helm seem incapable of imagination or compassion, and so let money drive their decisions rather than relying their humanity.

There’s so much pain.

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If you’ve ever heard of the enneagram, you might know some of the numbers that describe different types of motivations that direct our actions. Apparently I’m a seven, and sevens love to have fun…almost to a fault. Sevens try to steer clear of discomfort or pain, and it take a lot of discipline and reflection to stay in an uncomfortable situation. The instinct is to change the subject, make light of it, or evacuate the area. I’ve gotten better with practice, but there are still times when I have to work hard to stay present in the midst of conflict or discomfort. I’m trying hard to see and hear about the hardships people are facing. I’m very aware that there’s no guarantee these hardships won’t become my own.

People are experiencing profound pain, whether that’s because they’ve had to say goodbye to a loved one from a distance, or their livelihood is in jeopardy, or their child is struggling, or they’re deeply lonely. There’s any number of options for pain right now, and the only thing I can think to hope that people would feel God’s love in the midst of it, feel His/Her peace and buoying presence even in the darkness.

My prayer is that we would see each other’s pain and not look away. That we would bear each other’s burdens and bear witness to each other’s suffering. And then we’d strive to make changes to our systems so there are fewer cracks for people to fall through.

This all stems from the breath prayers Osheta Moore offered this summer. Click here for an intro

Moving forward in love

22
Nov

These pages in a handmade art journal were created as a response to breath prayers hosted by Osheta Moore. Most of the prayers are hers, but I missed a couple so I added my own to fill in the gaps. When in doubt assume they’re from Osheta.

Are you someone who mulls things over, reviews situations over and over again, reconsiders what should have been said or done?

Or are you a person who finds change difficult? Someone who wants to stick with what’s been tried and true, and drags your feet when forced to try new things?

We are at a point in our governmental season when it’s time to move forward. The election results are in, and you can recount what you want — the results still lead to a new president. It’s time for change. It’s too bad that the current president wants to burn it all down on his way out of office, but he’s entrenched in his self-focus, fighting and flailing to hold on to power even as he abdicates his job responsibilities in the midst of a global pandemic.

The trouble is, he has sown so much distrust in one of the most basic shared values of our country — that people have a right to participate in our government by casting a vote that impacts the direction of our country — that some people are willing to entertain his conspiratorial spitballing in a way that stretches the imagination.

I’ve heard people saying we need to come together and move on. That’s not totally wrong, but it’s incomplete.

The past four years have revealed deep divisions in what we believe the role of government should be, revealed deeply held mistrust of the global community, and an inordinate trust in the conspiracies woven so confoundingly they’re almost nonsensical.

The thing I’m struggling with, and why I turn to breath prayers to calm my racing mind, is the idea that we’re supposed to pretend the past four years didn’t happen and people didn’t show their true bigoted colors. Almost half the country voted to give this guy another four years. I understand that once upon a time you could claim you were voting for the platform, not the specific candidate. But that ship has sailed. People have shown they are perfectly comfortable with discriminatory policies, rolling back environmental protections, cronyism, nepotism, and thinly veiled racism.

It’s unreasonable to ask those who disagree with such positions and tactics to just let bygones be bygones. There’s bigger issues at play here, and those are compounded by the fact that most politicians in the president’s party refuse to break with him.

Found poetry from a poem by Rumi: We feel the call of God, and the journey changes. / The mountain feels level under us. Love becomes agile and quick/ This traveling’s not done with the body. God’s secret takes form in your loving, pure soul. / Messengers invite us to walk with them. They say, “You May feel happy enlightened where you are, but we can’t do without you any longer!” / My guide, my soul, only sadness is when I am not walking with you.

There’s something to be said for moving forward in love. But the love needed is the kind that presses someone to do better, to rise to their potential, a love that is so invested that refuses to sugarcoat conflict or difficult issues. I want to move forward in love, but not at the expense of dehumanizing and disenfranchising fellow citizens and minimizing issues that most directly impact their daily lives.

As I work through my indignation in these difficult times, I do try to focus on how I’m breathing, where my shoulders are, what jaw and forehead are doing, and how long I’m letting myself ruminate on what I’m thinking about.

We can all use a little breathing room to process our positions and next steps as we all try to move forward together, and hopefully we can move forward in love.

Handling hot emotions as we wait

2
Nov

This is an intense period in society here in the United States. There are strong feelings on all sides. As a general position in any situation, I dislike conflict, so any election season is tiring. You can probably guess (and I bet I’m not alone) that it’s been a lo-o-o-ong few months. I’m finding it hard to stay detached from the campaign and the results. The values I thought we shared as a nation have turned out to be negotiable and quickly cast aside, seemingly in a cheap swap for fear. Rather than being fringe positions held by outliers and discouraged by social norms, the president has normalized bigotry and tribalism (I think that’s fair to say), and has emboldened those who share his views. Some of the people I love dearly are sure to vote for him.

*My kids noticed these Biden campaign signs in a dumpster*.

Sometimes I feel pretty angry about it all.

This is a beautiful post by a friend of mine, Misty, who talks about art and anger, and I’d love to have you check it out. It’s easy to think of anger as being destructive or negative, and sometimes it is. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s similar to the idea of being “not fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb.” Anger doesn’t have to be something that renders a person frothing and senseless. It can be a catalyst, an animating force that moves us to action.

*A breath prayer. Maybe you, like me, need to be reminded to breathe today.*

My friend Misty skillfully articulates the process of disappointment and heartbreak that so many people have experienced broadly by discovering their (our) own complicity in systems of oppression, and then specifically addresses disappointment with the white evangelical church. You can pop over to read it by clicking here.

One of the things we can try to do on the other side of this election is to listen to one another. That was a theme of the 2016 election and the success of 45; people who felt discounted thought someone was finally listening to them. It’s so easy to create cardboard cut-outs of one another, a mentality of ‘you voted for so-and-so which means you agree with everything they say’. Some folks are less reflective or analytical, and they vote the way they’ve always voted simply because that’s what they do.

It does seem like a fair question to ask if someone holds the same priorities as “their candidate” but things are often more nuanced than they’re presented in the quick bites we get in headlines. When we are given an either/or scenario, one that eschews both/and, it inherently limits the common ground we’ll be able to find. It might take some time to get the whole story. I’m willing to allow for that, and I think everyone is capable of growth and change. Change doesn’t happen overnight.

However, it means everyone should be listening, not only one side or the other. And when people decry the discriminatory policies and hate-mongering rhetoric of the administration, their voices and perspectives should be heard.

As for that in-between time we currently inhabit, we need grace, patience, and the willingness to continue open conversations, even when that’s uncomfortable. Do we need to have potentially awkward and hard discussions with people who hold different views than we do? Do we need invest in becoming more aware of and involved in the political process? Should we evaluate the goals we’d like to achieve and how can we help reach them? I think the resounding answer is yes.

Personally, while we wait I’m eating a blueberry muffin and a special coffee that’s flavored with honey and cinnamon. I’m being aware of my physical posture and checking in with my shoulders and eyebrows. I will be trying to limit how click-crazy I get and often I allow myself to check the results. Maybe I’ll take a peek at lunchtime but then I’ll try to wait until late afternoon before I look again. [That’s a lie: I’ve already checked two more times. But I can TRY to look LESS than I would otherwise.]

Then I’m going to make a plan for putting my anger into action, a plan for making change. If this election is showing us something, it’s showing us that the last four years have not been objectionable for almost half of the United States. I want to do something to change that.

In the meantime, we can all remember to breathe.

Trying to remain hopeful and keep believing

17
Oct

Another Breath Prayer

This is a challenging time. There are a lot of things happening in the United States that can make a person question the democratic process and second guess the values you thought were shared as common to our society. Civility and common courtesy seem to be at an all-time low, people are dehumanizing one another, and we are not listening to each other. People seem unwilling to see the world from anyone else’s point of view, and we’re painting one another as caricatures, unable to allow for nuance or middle ground.

This crosses over into matters of faith as well. There are many aspects that I once held as true that I just don’t see the same way. And there are leaders I was taught to trust who are making decisions that do not line up with the faith I thought we shared. It’s hard for me to see any validity in their position, so I understand how easy it is to write-off someone because of a position they hold. I have to work very hard to remain open and see past their positions to their humanity.

It’s a disorienting, disappointing thing to go through. It’s disorienting to feel yourself take yet another step away from the community you were raised in. I’m disappointed in others and disappointed in my response to them. I doubt I’m the only one who feels this way, but it’s hard to talk about.

It’s difficult not to feel discouraged. Praying about this feels like a burden right now. I’ve been listening to this song by Beyoncé and it’s been filling some musical spiritual need I didn’t know I had. I think it made it a little easier to keep having faith in the possibilities. Maybe you will feel it do that for you too.

We have to keep watching for opportunities to be inspired.

Keep trying to find those moments of lightness, those glimmers of what could be.

Keep pushing back on those assumptions of how things have to be because they’ve always been that way.

Be that agent of change.

And if we don’t connect again before the beginning of November, be sure to get out there and vote.

Glory shown through us

15
Sep

This should start by saying if you don’t believe in God, this conversation will be interesting only as a mental exercise. Because if there is no god then of course God doesn’t show his/her glory since there’s no one to do the showing.

If you do think there’s a God, however, you might have heard the idea of doing something for God’s glory or wanting to see God’s glory. Especially in Christian circles there is often an emphasis on making ourselves smaller in order to glorify God.

That sentiment – that I would need to diminish so that God could be made larger – has negative consequences when improperly applied. In many cases, women are taught that they should not think too much of themselves and certainly not talk about their skills or gifts. That would be immodest and you’d be accused of trying to claim for yourself what ought to be directed towards God.

Have a nice singing voice and someone compliments you? Give God the glory.

Make a sweet shot in basketball? Point to the sky and aim the glory toward God.

Get a strong score on a test? Praise God for the ability to study and that He helped you pass.

See what it does?

If it doesn’t undercut any confidence you might have in your own abilities, it certainly stymies any language you might have for articulating this or advocating for your own merit. If you aren’t supposed to acknowledge your own skills how are you supposed to pursue that higher position at work or talk about your contributions to the company when negotiating a raise? Or even take on more leadership in that organization where you volunteer?

As a woman, maybe you’re being shown that you aren’t supposed to do these things. That’s definitely true in some denominations more than others.

It’s worth noting that if God’s the creator, it makes sense for Him/Her to revel in you as part of creation. It makes sense for Him to take joy in those times when you find your sweet spot and engage in doing something you’re uniquely equipped to do. Why would God be jealous of that? I don’t think She would.

But that’s not the point — the point, this thinking goes, is the reverse…that we forget about God when we pay too much attention to ourselves and our accomplishments. And bet we can agree that we all can think of somebody who thinks too highly of themselves and puts themselves at the center of every conversation or event.

There’s wisdom in focusing the glory on God, as well as seeking out ways to see His glory, whatever that looks like in a modern, practical way. Right about the time I start getting myself into a mental twist about this, it occurs to me that we see His glory more often than we realize, maybe because we haven’t thought to associate glory with a beautiful sunset or when you see a loved one step into themselves and the air thrums with purpose and fulfillment.

God’s glory can be observed when we are most fully alive.

That thought loosens up my heart, and helps me remember that these are breath prayers. And so, I remember to breath.

These are a series of breath prayers. You can see all of them by looking at my page on FB or on IG. These are all either written or inspired by Osheta Moore.

Storyteller – a third breath prayer

26
Aug

Note: this is another installment in a series of breath prayers. You can read the first post here

In recent years there’s been an emphasis on the concept of story. From Bob Goff sharing inspiring examples of how he chose to invest in making his life a great story (and he does tell of exciting adventures and an openness that has brought opportunities that would never have happened with a closed-off attitude), to the TED talks to audiobooks. There’s even been a focus on “narrative” in the media — story is permeating our culture. The thinking is that story connects us, draws us in, makes us aware of our own impact, and helps us listen to the perspective of others. Just because something hasn’t happened to us, it doesn’t mean it’s not a real part of someone else’s lived experience.

When it comes to story the focus in Christian churches quickly pans over to Jesus, the teller of parables, who used examples from everyday life to illuminate complex concepts that blew people’s hair back in their radicalness.

Out of myself, but wanting to go beyond that, wanting what I see in your eyes, not power, but to kiss the ground with the dawn/breeze for company, wearing white pilgrim cloth. I have a certain knowing. Now I want sight.
Rumi

One thing Jesus often did was use figurative language that made metaphoric mincemeat of the religious leaders of the time. I mean, ouch. He didn’t hold back. He was probably quite offensive to a certain set of people, just as he was enthralling to a different set. He upset the balance and he was not sorry. He made people question everything they thought they knew.

Great Storyteller, give us the words of life.

The thing about storytelling is that is narrows the gap between “us” and “them”, and helps us see our universal humanity. None of us got where we are without accumulating some life experiences that shaped our opinions and perspectives. Listening respectfully to one another’s stories can help us all have more compassion for one another. No one side has all the answers, and no one side is always wrong about every single thing all the time. I think allowing for that is a sign of maturity, maturity we could all use right now.

When I think about storytelling from a Jesus-informed position, I have to wonder who he’d be calling out right now and who he’d be standing beside. It’s definitely something worth considering…and potentially very convicting if we allow ourselves to really think about it.

This all began because Osheta Moore was hosting breath prayers on Instagram. Please be sure to search for her, as she is a wonderfully nurturing source of grace and spiritual wisdom.

Breath prayers: a series

2
Aug

I’ve been working on something for the last few months, during this challenging time, when we’re facing situations and challenges, awakenings and reckonings, an author and pastor introduced a series of morning breath prayers. That pastor’s name is Osheta Moore, and she is a lovely human who wrote Shalom Sistas, and preaches at Woodland Hills and Roots Covenant, among other places.

While facing a pandemic of an illness that zeroes in on the lungs, breath prayers seemed keenly appropriate. That was In late March/ April. Then at the end of May in Minneapolis a police office knelt on the neck of George Floyd and killed him. And the outrage at this, and the national reckoning with institutions that are set up to keep people down that followed is making people take a hard look at the ways their silence — my silence — has supported racism.

All that to say, it’s been a good time for breath prayers.

I thought I’d spread them out over the month of August, a time when the summer weather in Minnesota usually reaches its peak. Right now there’s a fever pitch of stress surrounding school’s plans for fall and how people are going to support their kids’ education, especially in this time of pandemic. It’s hard to know what the right decision is, and there’s not one cookie-cutter answer for every family, for every child. So how do we even start to pray about it?

Again, it’s a good time for breath prayers.

The cover of my handmade journal that began life as a box of crackers headed for the recycling bin.

A breath prayer is so simple, with the goal of giving our busy minds time to rest and time to pause. Almost a form of meditation, you just focus on a simple phrase, usually one that is short and can be said in one inhale or one exhale. Maybe the two portions work together. Maybe it’s longer and takes two breathes to complete, o pne phrase used on the inhale, one used with the exhale. The idea though is that it’s short enough to mimic our breathing, and can slow our breathing and slow our racing minds.

This post will probably be one of the longer of the series. I hope to share one or two per week during August. I will try to be clear which prayers are from Osheta and which ones are from me, because I think it’s important to give Osheta credit for these beautiful prayers and for the inspiration for this journal. For example, today’s prayer is from Osheta.

Today’s prayer: Mother God, distract me with delight.

There are a couple dictionary entries on this page, and a blackout (or whiteout in this case) poem based from a book of poems by Rumi.

The definition of pray: to request or make a request for in a humble, beseeching manner syn plead, petition, appeal, entreat

The poem reads:

God is giving a general introductory lecture.

We hear and read it everywhere, in the field, through the branches.

We’ll never finish studying, yet we’re considering.

Shall I say this with other metaphors? A barn crowded with souls. Quietness served around a table. Two people talk along a road that’s paved with words.

Mother God / distract us with delight.

The next page simply says breathe in / breathe out

As I use these prayers I try to focus on that prayer’s thought throughout the day, paying attention to where it pops up or how I feel in relation to it. I think God shows us things this way, even if it’s just showing us something more about ourselves.

And that’s it! I hope you’ll enjoy this series, and I’d love to hear what kinds of prayer are meaningful to you. Feel free to leave a comment and share with friends who might find this helpful.

Earth Day and Plastic Anxiety: Bad News and Practical Baby Steps

22
Apr

As if we do not have enough to be concerned about right now in our collective Coronoavirus lives, I’m here to be your unhappy little elf who comes around at night dropping wet tissues and bad news under your pillow.

I missed the memo

Did you know that…

Only like 10% of the plastics we’ve sent to be recycled have even been recycled SINCE THE 1980’s!!?
Remember how recycling plastic started getting traction when there was more plastic starting to be used? Guess who started the campaign to get people to recycle their plastics? The plastic industry.
The Twist: The plastic industry started touting plastic recycling programs so that people would be willing to use more plastic, all the while knowing that plastic couldn’t succesfully be recycled in the quantities the industry would generate.

I am not playing around; this information stopped me in my tracks and hung over my head for the next few days. You can read the main face-slapping article here. The Environmental Protection Agency has a report that details the generation of plastics along with the recycling, combustion, and composting (haha) of plastics through 2017. [Don’t forget that the EPA director just prior to the current director Andrew Wheeler was Scott Pruitt, who Tr$mp appointed and who was a former coal lobbyist and had to resign due to questionable ethics. Dicey.] One of the charts shows that 75% of plastics go to landfills, and 8% go to recycling; however, if the stuff that goes to recycling doesn’t even get recycled, that means that 83% of all the plastics generated in 2017 went to landfills. The other 17% was BURNED (with energy caputured supposedly but still, it was burned, which emits toxic chemicals into the atmosphere).

The BBC did a report that detailed the benefits and detriments of burning plastics or putting them in landfills. No great options there. We’ve been able to turn a blind eye to this problem because we shipped our plastic recyclables to China for years until in 2018 they decided they were no longer going to take care of our problem for us. So finally it’s caught up to us and we have to actually address the problem of what to do with our plastics.

How did I miss this information? It wasn’t because I wasn’t paying attention. I’ve been a dilligent recycler for years. Maybe everyone else already knew the current situation with the amount of plastic that is not recycled even though we put it in the recycling bin and it gets picked up every other week?? I certainly didn’t know the depressing specifics, but maybe others did and that’s why there’s the proposed Green New Deal and (I’m not equating these two, just giving examples) folks who knit all their own clothes and live off-grid who are willing to go extremes to get in the way of industries who are hell-bent on ignoring the impact of their actions. It might be the only way to get the attention of the general public who, like me until recently, genuinely think they’re doing their part by washing their plastic yogurt containers and putting them in the recycling can.

What the heck can we do about it?

Becoming aware of our dependence on plastic is a really important first step. When we stop and pay attention we quickly realize so much stuff comes in plastic in one form or another, either the item itself or the packaging it’s sold inside, we will realize it’s ev-ery-where. So.much.plastic.

The step that follows soon after is to ask what to do if you want to not only recycle less plastic (since *gulp* it might not even be getting recycled anyway) but use less plastic.

For example, there’s been a movement lately to use fewer plastic straws. I’ve noticed some places do not offer a straw unless you request one. Some are moving to paper straws. There are now metal straws you can buy complete with it’s own tiny cleaning brush.

What else?

We are somewhat limited because with the COVID-19 crisis we aren’t allowed to bring reuable bags to any stores, and nobody wants to let us bring in refillable containers for fear of spreading the virus.

It’s great to make our own personal changes, such as moving towards using glass or metal containers, bypassing plastic utinsels, or trying to refill bottles of shampoo by purchasing it in bulk from community co-ops (you can click here to go to a directory of co-ops so you can find one near you). But if we really want to make change, we need to make sure companies and corporations know our consumer preferences/demands. They’ve got lobbyists who are working against legislative bills that would limit plastic packaging, so you know they’ve got a stake in keeping things status quo.

This article puts forth the idea that it’s time for a revolution of dedication to sustainability and social responsiblity — a pretty inspiring type of revolution!

I’m still very new to this so it’s easy for me to get disheartened by my own consumption and culpability. But I love the quote from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” I think that’s a perfect motto for this new awareness of plastic usage. And on Earth Day, it seems like a perfect motto to help make a start.

[As I find resources I will pass them along. And if you have practical ways you’ve reduced your plastic consumption, please feel free to share your practices here.]