when things work out

I marvel at how the worst thing ever can easily turn into a blessing. Take for example the other day when I flew home from a sweet lil' visit in Maine. My luggage didn't make it home with me. At first I was freaking out. 

What? How dare they? Do they have any idea how much they are inconveniencing me? And what the hell: where are my "good vibes" now?

Minutes later the paper work was filled out and my ride showed up at the airport. Turns out the ultra small car was packed with five people and could barely manage my friend Aniela's carry on (the trunk was small and already full. Personally when I pick someone up from the airport I leave room in my trunk - but hey, were all on our own trip and this oversight supports the miracle of my story). 

There's no way that big duffel filled with camping equipment would have fit in that car. Or if it could have somehow, it would have made for a very uncomfortable 4 hour drive.

It's like the angels knew. So a mild inconvenience of me not having a bag of stuff that I think I need for a few days offered us a headache free means to make our way home. Meanwhile, the airline is delivering my bag right to my door.

Thus, I give gratitude to all that's happening in the unseen. Somehow it's all perfect. Thank you! I never  knew I could be so excited about lost luggage.

my homage to water & good hair days

This week I've taken the challenge to avoid using flush toilets. In fact, I'm bathing in the lake instead of a shower and only using the (spring water) tap for brushing my teeth.

Why? It feels like the right thing to do. Some people take a vacation and go to all-inclusives for a week. I decided to give Mama E a break and be as nice to her as I possibly can.

It dawned on me sometime ago that shitting into water that's taken in pipes to a plant where it's "cleaned" and then put back into the eco system or recycled for another round of use is just ludicrous. The "grey water" situation is just as heinous, especially when we consider all the chemicals spilled down the sink. Drain-o anyone? Ugh.

Water is much more precious than they way we treat it. All water. Perhaps composting toilets aren't practical to have in every building....and perhaps that's the way we've cultivated our society - to flush things away instead of dealing with them and using our waste to make things grow.

Is there a metaphor in there somewhere?

For example, is our shortsightedness with water impeding some sort of epic high-rise architecture/engineering that allows us to poop and feed our plants and heat or power our buildings? Who knows? I'm no architect or engineer.

I have however witnessed countless examples of human ingenuity and I KNOW there are way better ways to do things that would improve the quality of our lives, in general AND specifically with water.

This is the obvious statement of the year.

An entire industry could be created with true waste management. And I'd bet that if we had to deal with our poo instead of flushing it away we'd be more mindful of what and how much we consume.

For me, I've come to a place where I'd prefer to poop in a composting toilet, and pee in the woods. That  makes sense. Obviously not always practical. But I know it's my preference.

And I'd rather clean myself in a beautiful lake or a invigorating stream. It's a preference, and again not always practical.

Let me tell you though. I can guarantee myself the best hair day ever when I let nature's structured water get ahold of it. And that makes me very happy.

Pictured above: Gorgeous spirally lake tendrils.