Since March

I posted my very first blog at the end of March. My, how things have changed. In that first post, I introduced myself and invited all of you along on my journey towards a healthier, simpler and more sustainable life. At the time, I had no idea what that would entail, nor did I realize that that kind of lifestyle is not a destination to be arrived at but truly an ongoing journey that will never really be finished and will always be evolving. A simple task that I completed last night made me stop and think "whoa!" Look how far I've come!

The aforementioned task was mending. Yes, mending. While on my 60 mile walk last month, I purchased some flannel pajama bottoms because a) the were super cute b) my Mom, Aunt and friend Marilyn all had a pair and they wanted me to match, and c) it was freakin' FREEZING and the sleepwear I had packed was not sufficient. I wore them on the walk, brought them home and washed them. When I went to hang them out, I noticed a large hole, right along the seam, like the serger they used to finish the hem wasn't threaded properly. I wasn't very happy. The pants were "charity priced" meaning outrageous, and I had only worn them twice! I pinned them on the line and stomped inside, cursing shoddily made garments and wasted cash.

As I was putting my laundry basket back in the laundry room and digging for a pair of scissors to make rags out of my ruined pajama pants, a light bulb went off in my head. I can fix them. Me. I know how to fix them! I had never mended anything before and the things I really wanted to save laid in wait until my Mom or my mother in law were visiting. But I know how to sew now (well, I use the phrase "know how to sew" loosely) and I could fix them. I threaded my machine, pinned up the hole, sewed it up and they were good as new.

The whole process took me less than five minutes. FIVE MINUTES. Before March, I would have cut them up for rags or thrown them away. The simple act of mending my own pants gave me more satisfaction than I can describe. Certainly more gratifying than going out and purchasing another pair. When I make my kids a sandwich with jelly that I made, or dress my kids in Mama made clothes, or treat my husband's cold with eucalyptus oil and honey, my heart soars. This is the life I want to live. Simple and sustainable. I'm not perfect. I still have a long way to go. But wow. Look how far I've come!