Do not try to save/the whole world

Clearing
by Martha Postlewaite

Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself
to this world
so worth of rescue.

I was born to lose myself inside this soft world.

Mindful

by Mary Oliver

Everyday
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for —
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world —
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant —
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these —
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

"Mindful" by Mary Oliver from Why I Wake Early. © Beacon Press, 2005. 

My Food.

I need to become a vegetarian.
I think after my AmeriCORPS year, I'll transform my diet. I heard word when I moved down to the bayou that it's damn near impossible to become a vegetarian-- the resources aren't available in this area. Everyone eats meat and seafood. And, traveling is also very difficult (I live in a very small town with no car). So, I dont think this year is a year I can begin my new diet. But, I can, as often as possible, at least purchase local food, shop at stores like WholeFoods, and be informed about where my food is coming from.
I can also use this next year to mentally prepare for the diet change; so much of my diet is currently made up of fastfood and cheap freezer meals. Living on a limited budget, with a busy schedule promotes poor eating habits. I also really love the taste of chicken and turkey. It'll be a difficult transition, without a doubt. But I think I can learn to live more sustainably.

And, if watching Food Inc wasnt motivation enough to become a vegetarian, the thought that every animal I consume feels pain, probably is. Each time I eat meat or seafood, I try to be mindful that each animal died in order for me to consume it. It hurt, it felt pain, because of a decision I made.

I think I can do it.....

"Get involved"

Starting Out.

I'm obsessed with truth. I feel like I've been lied to my entire life; by parents, the school system, our government, and basically anyone else who has an agenda they'd like to fulfill. So with that said, this is my way of "giving back," trying to provide some sort of truth in a world focused on lying. I'll try to post clips, news articles, reviews of movies or documentaries that are thought-provoking or otherwise relevant. Perhaps these posts will promote discussions, spark ideas, or at the very basic level, allow me to feel like I'm not just storing a lot of information in my head.
The clips, articles, and movies/documentaries are all created by human beings with flaws. I, too, am a human being with flaws. Please realize that what I post up here is intended to get people to think. People need to start thinking and becoming aware of the world that is around them.