STEPHANIE MORK

Two quotes I am thinking about here, one I am sure you have already heard:

“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
– Dolly Parton

and:

“At what age did I start to think that where I was going was more important than where I already was?  When was it that I began to believe that the most important things about what I was doing was getting it over with?”
– Colin Beavan, No Impact Man

First of all, read that book.  Even if you don’t care about the environment, he talks about things that he and his family gained back by eliminating the unnecessary clutter out of their lives.  Got rid of the tv and started to spend time with his baby, got rid of packaged foods and relearned how to cook and spend time with his family over meals. Do it.

Today is Thanksgiving.  The most thankful holiday of the year.  It seems a bit ironic that half the country spends it rushing around throwing money at turkeys and showing their turkey stuffed faces at each family gathering.  I feel like MY favorite part of holidays are actually slowing down.  Granted I don’t have kids or a husband so I have the luxury of kind of doing whatever I want with my day off, but I plan to carry this through in some fashion when I do have a family.

To intentionally stop checking email, try to push work things or stress things out of my head and just be.  Enjoy the time spent with my sometimes crazy family and the lazy walks around the neighborhood, and chats over coffee and sticky rolls.

Anyways, this Thanksgiving I want to make an intentional effort to be ok with right now.  I think it is a daily reminder for me to slow down and stop thinking and planning so much for whats on the edge of the horizon.  What is almost in my grasp, but not quite.

So lets try to lean in to what’s happening now, even if its not our favorite.  I won’t be single forever (or so I hope), I won’t be broke forever (or so I hope), so those are things that I will try to embrace in this season that is unique to me and where I am.  I also won’t be this independent forever or free to kind of do whatever I want.  So I will embrace that in this season as well.  What can you embrace in this season of your life?

Today I am thankful for days off, good coffee, my house, our cat Jo, good books that make me think, and a brain that allows me to think and have thoughts. I am thankful for my jobs and flexible jobs at that, for my friends that are quirky and big hearted.  I am thankful to have today to spend with family that I want to spend time with and I enjoy being with.

I am, as they say, #blessed.  Slow down today and live a little.  Eat TWO pieces of pie darn it.

A few things have prompted the inspiration for this post.  First: I am rereading No Impact Man by Colin Beavan.  Second: I made friends with a customer at work [to be explained in further detail].  Third: Election stress.

No Impact Man is about a man and his family who spend a year in an experiment to have a zero carbon impact on the environment. No trash, no motorized transportation, no electricity, local food etc.  Aka basically impossible in today’s world.  It is an interesting read if you’re into that sort of thing.

Anyways – he starts the book off by explaining why he decided to do this.  He had been concerned about global warming and thinking about writing a book about his increasing worries about how we are trashing our planet.  He wanted to write a book to change other peoples perspective and about how important it is that we recognize global warming – not realizing that he was doing nothing in his own life to change his habits.

He says, “I was worried sick about something and doing nothing about it.  I wasn’t sick of the world. I was sick of myself.  I was sick of my comfortable and easy pretension of helplessness.”  So he set about to change himself instead of changing other people and how they treat and view the world.

I think that many times this is true in my own life.  I want to blame the worlds problems on someone/something else when I should first be looking at what I can do about the problem in my own life and in my own circles.  Assuming that I am helpless to do anything about the problem.

Why do we do that?  We are concerned about pollution and keep buying/using cars, paper products and plastic bags.  We are upset about electing a President that stands for exclusion and belittlement and we respond with f*ck Trump and protests.

Just simply, no.

We elected this president.  We are responsible for the decline in our planet.  What are we doing about it?  Responding to hate with hate, responding to past irresponsibility with more irresponsibility and chosen ignorance.  Why?

Because sometimes its easier to stay quiet when there is tension, sometimes its easier to do what everyone else is doing.  Is it that hard to be nice and listen?  To start taking responsibility for what is happening in the world?

I am not trying to be pretentious and say that I am the best and I can do no wrong OR that I reflect how I feel about the planet with my lifestyle.  Not at all.  I do a lot of things wrong and occasionally get it right.  But I do want to tell you about one of my customers at Caribou.  Recently, I have been feeling like I am tired of making my way through life with lattes and mochas.  Last week, one of our regular customers that I didn’t pay that much attention to came and asked me if she could have her coffee and pay for it later after she went to the bank.  Without thinking I offered to give her a dollar to cover the cost of her coffee.

She drank her coffee and came back a few hours later with a little card and a 5 dollar bill.  She said, “Now you put this in your pocket.  I know what it’s like to make a living in the service industry and its hard work.  It’s rare that you come across someone that cares and has some sense about them.  You keep that head of yours on straight now.”

I almost started crying right there.

It’s hard to feel like you make a difference at all when you serve people coffee all day – but I think I forget that a little kindness can go a long way.  I can and am making a difference in my world and community when I choose to be kind.  When I choose to notice the people around me as people and not just see that annoying lady who orders the most complicated drink ever or the Asian man who comes in for coffee and gets about 4 refills before he leaves.  These people have lives too.  And kindness repeats itself.  I think my customer had a bigger impact on me with her kindness than I did on her.

I am not saying it’s easy because it’s so hard.  It’s a daily choice.  But no matter how you make your living, how you spend your days or where you go – there is always the option to be kind.