Comments on The Green Phone Booth: To Crazy and Back Again

Balance is the key, isn't it? Well said. I'...

2010-01-31T11:14:24.736-08:00

Balance is the key, isn't it? Well said. I'm still working my way into more sustainable practices, but I don't fall to pieces if my coffee cup isn't reusable or my beans come from the grocery store's freezer section instead of my own freezer.
Now if only I could give up coffee altogether....nah.

Burbanmom...I will stop counting pees and poos imm...

2009-09-15T17:00:46.321-07:00

Burbanmom...I will stop counting pees and poos immediately.

I love this post. My new mantra is "Their cho...

2009-06-30T23:35:56.685-07:00

I love this post. My new mantra is "Their choice. Not mine." I feel myself teetering on that edge of eco-nazi-ism sometimes. And life is not enjoyable. Nor is it enjoyable when I am contributing to the world's pollution and suffering. Balance is key. I am happy to be reminded of this with your fantastic post.

"Their choice. Not mine."

We just installed our water filtration system tonight and Arrowhead is going bye-bye. Happy about that too. :-)

I was proud of myself for being relaxed at my in-laws the past 4 days, particularly when a plastic wrapped cucumber emerged from the fridge. I just gratefully ate it. :-)

Save your flames for the BBQ this weekend, Burbs. ...

2009-06-29T07:36:59.139-07:00

Save your flames for the BBQ this weekend, Burbs.

I hear what you're saying and certainly get it. It's one of the reasons I didn't ever join the Riot for Austerity. I knew tracking the numbers would drive me nuts and then I'd drive everyone else nuts. I cut down where I can, keep learning new ways to conserve, but try to also live life.

Do I expect everyone to live like us? Well, it'd be nice but it just ain't gonna happen. My stressing out about that accomplishes nothing but making me stressed out.

Live your life. Set a good example. Share what you do and hope others decide to make changes in their lives, too. Nice to see you back online.

I really have to tone down my corny syrup rants. T...

2009-06-28T17:19:13.951-07:00

I really have to tone down my corny syrup rants. That one really hit me close to home. Enough already. I think *everyone* knows how I feel about it by now! I solemnly vow to shut up about corn in all its forms for....the rest of the year! LOL. (I'm also working on realistic goals).

Thanks to all for the comments. I thought I'd...

2009-06-28T17:15:43.822-07:00

Thanks to all for the comments. I thought I'd have a few folks flaming me, and am happily surprised to find so many other folks floating in the same boat!

Big THANK YOU to Green Bean for letting me come back as a guest-poster on GPB. Keep on keepin' on, all!

- Burbs

Excellent philosophy! You're still doing right...

2009-06-28T12:16:54.236-07:00

Excellent philosophy! You're still doing right by our planet and acting as a good role model for others, but you're no longer sending your own blood pressure soaring. Keep it up; you and I will be the ones carrying our own bagas to the farmers' markets until our own produce comes ripe.

I'm going to carry this post in my pocket so t...

2009-06-27T19:31:40.716-07:00

I'm going to carry this post in my pocket so the next time I'm tempted to reach over and turn off the water streaming down the drain I will breathe instead of scream. Thank you! Although honestly I may still turn it off, I will just do it without screaming. Do you think strait jackets are made with organic cotton?

Green Rez: I don't know about more stressful. ...

2009-06-27T18:34:42.932-07:00

Green Rez: I don't know about more stressful. It certainly makes it more motivating. I think there is a bit of "someone may be watching" or "this is not practicing what I preach" sort of thing. Probably weighs in both directions. Do you feel it makes things more stressful?

Do you guys think blogging about green makes the t...

2009-06-27T16:53:36.392-07:00

Do you guys think blogging about green makes the transition to sustainable living more stressful?

Still, I feel like I needed to go through the e...

2009-06-27T06:29:08.510-07:00
Still, I feel like I needed to go through the eco-obsessive phase to get to where I am now, where living with mindfulness of having less of an impact on the earth is something like second nature.

My sentiments EXACTLY, but I could have written ANY of these comments (or even the original piece).

I couldn't agree more. This is where I find I...

2009-06-27T04:44:02.982-07:00
I couldn't agree more. This is where I find I'm at with my journey and learning about caring for the environment. Besides not wanting to make others crazy (especially those with good intentions), I don't want to make myself any more crazy than I have to be, :-)

Still, I feel like I needed to go through the eco-obsessive phase to get to where I am now, where living with mindfulness of having less of an impact on the earth is something like second nature.

I'm experiencing the same sort of return from ...

2009-06-26T18:18:44.505-07:00
I'm experiencing the same sort of return from eco-nazi-ness at the moment. Glad to have you back Burbs - you've been missed!

Burbanmom! I missed you too. You always made me la...

2009-06-26T09:33:47.736-07:00
Burbanmom! I missed you too. You always made me laugh. I'm still trying to find balance instead of going nuts. And I am trying to spend more time with people offline instead of online...creating community and all that. I have sinister plans of having everyone I know riding their bicycles and eating local, organic food all year round. But I'm keeping that on the down low...

I can't remember who my first love was online..crunchy chicken? Arduous? Burbanmom? Orgie needle? I think I spread my love all around.

Burbs - I've missed you! And I've been th...

2009-06-26T04:05:56.165-07:00
Burbs - I've missed you! And I've been thinking a lot of the same things lately. I get mad at my family for forgetting to flush with shower water, I've switched to cloth wipes which gives me another thing to deal with, sometimes I'm just getting overwhelmed. Maybe I need to look at my life and figure things out a bit better too. Come back and guest post whenever you want - I love to hear from you.

I think most greenies go through the same thing at...

2009-06-26T03:29:46.370-07:00
I think most greenies go through the same thing at one point or another.

You discover eco-living, then ramp it up as you get REALLY into it, and then it becomes like some obsessive contest. You begin to be so worried about spending time in the shower (all those drops of water going uselessly down the drain!) that you can't ENJOY the shower anymore.

I went through the same phase. And, I've dramatically chilled out lately.

I'm still green. Big time. But I'm not obsessing.

And I think that's the best way to be. Thanks for bringing up this great issue.

I have to admit that I've toned it down quite ...

2009-06-25T22:19:24.472-07:00
I have to admit that I've toned it down quite a bit as well in the last six months. I no longer panic if I'm handed a plastic bag. I don't hate friends who drive SUVs or shop for new instead of used clothes. I can actually vacation with my family without hyperventilating over them buying my kids a few souvenirs. It's nice to be a bit more normal and a smidge less nazi/nut. Though, it does still drive me insane when hubs idles the car. Then, I cannot stop myself from switching off the ignition.

All in all, I think you've got the right idea. We cannot live forever in that state of true eco-nutdom. Who would take us seriously? How many friends would be have? How happy would we be?

Thanks for the guest post and for reporting in on enjoying your less nutty life.

Welcome to another less publicized size of green l...

2009-06-25T19:41:22.018-07:00
Welcome to another less publicized size of green living. I've been doing the green before we called it green. I learned early on that if I concentrated so hard on my mistakes, I'd never celebrate my successes and that I'd drive myself and everyone around me nuts! That's not so say that I don't challenge myself or my family, or that we don't try new things, we do. I'm just more honest with myself when it comes to finding out that something isn't quite working for me and mine and to look for a modification.