Day One

July. My birthday month. The final month of this twenty and nine days.

There were a number of ideas for projects swimming around my brain over the course of the last 11 months that I never got to.  With some, the timing never seemed right. For example, training to run barefoot. This is still something I want - and intend - to do, however training for a marathon at the same time seems like too much. Some of my ideas I channeled into my January project.  Some of those resolutions would be overkill for 29 days and so monthly reminders are more appropriate.

With that, this month's project evolved after a few months of more conscious food consumption, in terms of animals and documentation of what I eat. I fear I'm coming off a little food-centric, but more and more I am realizing the importance of what we put in our bodies. Like many things, this is one of those 'yeah, yeah I know' ideas that for whatever reason is really solidifying as a concept for me lately.

A number of factors have contributed to this. Embarking on the vegetarian track was certainly a starting point. Originally, I made that decision out of respect for animals. My thinking is that if I know that I would not be able to kill (and therefore watch die), skin/pluck, gut, chop up, and whatever else goes into transforming (?) a chicken into a toss-in option on my salad...then I should not be eating it. (This is actually a point I could prattle about for a while, so I am going to stop there, but if you are interested in learning more about my specific 'philosophy', check this out. I found it incredibly touching and inspiring.) I figured there was also the benefit of the environmental and political repercussions as well, though I am not well versed in those so much.

As my running progresses, I am also intrigued by the number of ultra-marathoners (100 miles!) who are vegan. Many well-knowns in the running world stick to truly plant based diet.  This not only fuels their running, but enhances it as well.  That is incredible to me. This fed the idea flitting around my head about harnessing the the power of plants to help your body to achieve the impossible.

Slowly, over the last couple of weeks, an idea started to form. In regards to food, I am taking steps to honor life, and I am taking steps to honor my body. What I have not been as careful about is honoring the planet. Okay, okay, so yes this is the little hippie in me, but there is so much I do in my daily routines that disregards my carbon footprint.  I drive to Trader Joe's which is literally two blocks away. Two neighborhood blocks! I don't compost (a long story) and I take showers that are so long that my water usage is the equivalent of 3-4 normal person showers. This list could go on. It is true, that compared to most Americans, I probably have a significantly light footprint, but that is not a justification to consume and waste without regard for my actions. And I know better, which makes it worse...at least in some cosmic karmic sense. There is also the concern about bringing a child into the world. I'm starting to start to be ready to think about doing this. Actually, not adding to the world population is one of the best things you can do for this planet, which for a long time I assumed would be my path. Either I would not have children, or I would adopt. These are both still options, however, they seem less and less like what I will actually want. So, if I selfishly add to the 'problem', that being crazy consuming humans, I should, at the very least, be particularly mindful of my choices. What can I do to make this planet better for my children, and yours?

So for this last twenty and nine days I will lighten my print. I am going to primarily do this through food. This is a surprisingly daunting task. I tried it the other day and found it troubling how many items on my list I could not find from a local manufacturer or grower. My goal is to only buy foods grown/made in California. This has the added benefit of supporting our local economy. Now, sadly, I will most likely stop shopping at Trader Joe's and begin at Whole Foodies, Sprouts, and ideally, farmer's markets. I am looking forward to this challenge though. I am excited about how much I will learn about where my food comes from. There is very little that I eat that I can honestly say that about.

Thank goodness California has lots of wonderful wine.

Here's to our temples, our bodies and our earth.

P.S.

My portrait for July 1st. I think I'm going to start take self portraits after my runs.

and this one too. Thanks to Adobe Lightroom, because I looked atrocious in the original.