Tuesday's Dream

Most people dream about flying, but I do not. I usually dream about mundane things, like grocery shopping. Last night I went to a boutique. I don't remember buying anything in my dream, but I will mention what I saw. I will also mention what the dream dictionary says about everything.

I saw two figurines made of plastic lanyard, like the kind used for camp crafts. To see figurines means that you are underestimating your abilities and need to stop comparing yourself to others.

The smaller one was a whale, like a right whale or beluga. I don't know; it was made of lanyard. We already know what whales mean. I think it comes from a news video I recently watched of a dead whale with 30 plastic bags in its stomach. Like I said before, they're like vacuum cleaners.


 The bigger one was a killer whale. Dream Dictionary says "To see a killer whale in your dream indicates that you need to be more social or more vocal about something. Step up and speak up. Alternatively, the dream symbolizes spiritual guidance. You are ready to explore your emotions, but you need to make the connection between the conscious and subconscious aspects of yourself." That's pretty specific. I partnered with Crest to recycle toothbrushes and toothpaste but I need to go somewhere and set up a drop-off point, and that requires me to be social.

What does shopping in dreams mean? It symbolizes your needs and desires and also represents opportunities that are presented.  We come from a materialistic commercialized society and shopping is a normal activity. What can we do to lessen our wants?

Monday's Random Thoughts

There's a solar storm happening right now. A lot of weirdness. Also the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is getting bigger. I don't know if that's a proper noun but I'm making it one. The garbage patch actually contains more larger pieces of plastic than tiny particles. Baleen whales are suffering a lot from this because they're ingesting these plastic tiny particles. They're like really huge vacuum cleaners of the sea. It reminds me of why I'm doing this.

Right now I'm trying to find different straws in addition to the silicone straws. Silicone straws are great for the kids, but they're pretty big to use in a restaurant. Something like glass or metal would be more subdued. I'm going to look around and see what I can find. Ok, I actually just got a couple of glass straws from Wish.  Have you ever used Wish?  It's like a dollar for shipping and most of the stuff is free or really cheap. Then you just wait a month and your stuff comes. It's very minimally packaged.

I'm going to post about some animals in the next few posts, and maybe more random thoughts.

Plastic bags vs. paper bags.

I went to school in the late 80s and all throughout the 90s.  Going to school next to a beach allowed us to be more environmentally conscious than most.

What I remember most was my school's stance on bags. You think plastic bags? Nope. Paper bags.  We were told, specifically, that paper bags were very bad. It takes 100, 200, no 1000 trees to make one paper bag (which we know isn't true). Our teachers told us if the grocery store cashier gives us the choice between paper and plastic bags, we must always choose plastic. Because we don't want to be tree killers! 

Now everyone here still uses plastic bags because it literally has been lectured to us all throughout elementary school.  It's difficult to convince people to use cloth/reusable bags because we were taught to use plastic bags at school, and what we were taught can't be wrong, can it? So I feel like we brought this upon ourselves.

Now we have to recognize our mistake of using plastic bags. Specifically, one-use plastic bags that get thrown away soon after. It is not our fault. Don't feel guilty about this.  We were taught to do this by adults we trusted.  Now that we know better, we can make more informed choices. I use reusable bags every time I go to the store. I have a valet trash service, which is required by my neighborhood and I use a large trash bag for that. Other than that, I really don't use plastic bags anymore.

Many stores, such as Publix, Walmart, and Target will take any soft plastic, including bags, as recycling. So if you need to take a bag, you can always recycle it.

First Target Run

Specifically, this is my first carless Target run.  This is my daughter's spring break so she was with me and Jacob, my baby.  I put Jacob in the stroller, got some reusable bags and a backpack and we all walked together. It was quite a few blocks but we made it. We also do not have to cross the street at all which is great.

I mostly went there to get milk. My family goes through several gallons of milk a week. You know how in many stores there is a water jug refill station? Where people come in with their own empty jugs and fill them with water? I would really like it if there was a milk refill station. Now there is a new or rather, reemerging trend of milkmen delivering glass bottles of milk.  Maybe one day they will do that here.

But as always, I get lots of stuff at Target. I use cartwheel and take advantage of sales. I had to be careful not to buy too much because I can't let it weigh it me down while I walk back to the house. So here it is. In the bottom of the stroller there is a green insulated bag I use specifically for milk. Next is my pineapple bag and a backpack. I feel really accomplished.

Leftover food, rescue food.

I found a company that finds a use for leftover food from restaurants.  Food waste is a big problem in the world.  So many people are going hungry and we have food. It's not a food problem; it's a distribution problem.

This company allows you to purchase "rescue food" aka Leftovers from restaurants at discount prices. Therefore, restaurants get to sell their food instead of wasting it, and we get cheap food. It is a win-win situation.

The only problem is that this company doesn't operate in the USA.  Where I live, we have over 500 restaurants, even more than New York City. So, I emailed them. And they replied!

They said that their goal is to eventually open in the US, and when they do, they will annouce it with a big ad campaign so everyone knows what they're about. It will be an exciting day when they open here and I am looking forward to trying them out.

Reusable Straws

I went to Target and bought some reusable straws.  I researched lots of different kinds before I bought them.  Stainless steel is out of the question because I don't want to be biting down on metal. Plus my kids wouldn't like it.

Plastic and Acrylic straws also are not an ideal choice since I am trying to steer away from plastic. So, silicone it is. They are soft and flexible. Also, they are easy to clean. Please excuse our table, it is old, and functions as our art studio. My daughter loves using the reusable straws.

First Green Thought

This is just a blog of my random thoughts, mostly to do with environmentalism, etc.

I dreamed I saw whales floating in the sky. I looked this up to see what it means. It means that "an enormous sense of freedom from letting down your emotional wall. You feel a huge weight has been lifted". That's how I felt when I found the zero waste community. Well, actual zero waste is an industry term and is practically impossible in the home unless you live on an island in the middle of nowhere. Low impact sounds less harsh. But it's all the same thing if you wish to live a more eco-conscious life. Who cares what we label it?

I live in an area that has a lot of sea turtles. They come up to the beach to lay their eggs. And I just love them. They are majestic creatures. I saw a video where a turtle got a plastic straw stuck up his nose and it greatly moved me. Like I had a manic episode when I saw this and decided I had to do something. So I'm working on being more environmentally conscious especially when it comes to single use plastics. Also I started this blog to collect my thoughts.