Comments on: MMM #15 Check-In

By: Shelby

Shelby — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:18:17 +0000

So, I started thinking about this mission at the check in and had a rough time coming up with a mantra that was positive. So, after a bit of googling, I have chosen, “I’m not perfect, just awesome” and I love it already!Thanks for the inspiration girl!

By: Sayward

Sayward — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:08:01 +0000

@ Rebecca – I think the key to ‘everything always works out’ is to be mindful of scale. Like, if I’m just focused on this week or this month, then no, it might not be better by the end of that time frame. But if I look at my life over a large enough range, then I am *totally* happier, healthier, and more fulfilled than I was, say, 5 years ago. That’s because all of the little actions I make each day have forged the overall arc of my life. And it works!

Same goes for an even bigger picture, beyond myself. Like, it’s so easy to get really (really!) discouraged about the state of politics in America right now. The small scale day-to-day is just SO depressing. So it helps me to remember that as a country, we’ve done nothing but move in a more liberal, ever-progressive direction: from minority civil rights to women’s equal rights to safe and legal abortion to the current move towards gay rights. As a country we are more free and more fair than when we began – than ever before. It’s important for me to keep that in perspective.

So I guess my point is, I understand the tendency towards pessimism. But try to stay positive and think in terms of a grander scale! =)

@ Britt – Glad the EOs are working so well! For proportions, I think EOs operate on a ‘few drops’ scale as opposed to a ‘few tablespoons’ one. But I’m actually with you – I don’t know a ton about them and I’d LOVE to learn more. Sounds like a great opportunity for a guest post, if I could just find an expert!

By: Britt

Britt — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 19:03:20 +0000

@ Sayward – It’s true…! Our best friends are vegans, and they DO poop flowers!!! And they smell like rainbows! The poops, not the vegans, I mean. To be clear.

Anyhoo! So I added both eucalyptus and lavender to my cleaning mix… HOLY AMAZINGNESS, BATMAN! It smelled so amazing, I seriously almost started spraying it as air freshener! Wow!!! I’m so excited, I LOVE THIS STUFF!!! And it’s cleaning powers are ENDLESS!!! I never knew our tub was white… Always though it was sort of a dingy beige… Ewwwww. Scrubbing Bubbles didn’t even cut through the grime like the mix did! But I do think some of us [me] might need a little EO 101 Basic Guidlines. To be specific, I’m really unfamiliar with ratio proportions. For example, should I add one or two tablespoons to my cleaning mix, or just a few drops? is “a few drops” two or twenty? Do just a few drops have as much cleaning power as a few tablespoons, or would that be superfluous? Vs how much do I put into a tub of bath water for aromatic purposes, instead of antibacterial purposes?

Thank you so much for all the help and INVALUABLE information!!! All the best to the family! Keep on the up and up!

By: erosan

erosan — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:02:42 +0000

@Rebecca: Just be positive about it, the hardest times will give you the coolest stories to tell your grandchildren. So think of them as an investment ;)

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:50:58 +0000

@erosan: Thanks…something to definitely think about. What keeps “tripping me up” is that I try and adopt the “things always end up working out in the end attitude” yet things keep getting more difficult (i.e. work gets even crazier, family drama intensifies, etc…)..but I keep chugging along. Difficult…but chugging.

By: erosan

erosan — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:43:44 +0000

@Rebecca, look this one time your skeptic side will have to trust your other side. Things always work out in the end. Trust science, namely the second law of thermodynamics: Any closed system always tends to its state of maximum entropy (translation so english: everything tends to equilibrium).

So cheer up. Crazy work weeks ends, and holiday stress passes. ^_^

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:00:13 +0000

I *totally* forgot about this…thank goodness for reminders.

In terms of “everything always works out” the skeptic in me immediately yells back “yeah right!” (Full disclosure: that is my crazy work week and pre-holiday stress talk adding to my usual Debbie Downer outlook)

By: Sayward

Sayward — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:25:19 +0000

@ erosan – Haha, I had to look that up. Awesome!

@ Monika – Love that. I get so caught up in the idea of ‘accomplishments’, when the truth is that my choices are good and that’s what I should be proud of. Thanks for the reminder!

By: Monika {windycityvegan}

Monika {windycityvegan} — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:55:37 +0000

My mantra has been one of my favorite J.K. Rowling quotes: “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Also, I have a second mantra that has personal significance for when I have a really bad case of the mean reds: “It’s a perfect day for bananafish.” {I think most Salinger fans have their own interpretation of that saying, but I don’t know if many of us can verbalize it}

By: erosan

erosan — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:35:14 +0000

@Sayward: also, vegans have psychic powers (regulated by the vegan police of course) as documented by the awesome “Scott Pilgrim vs the world”.