Made a difference, this quarter.

Q: One of the original goals of this quarter was to improve the state of body/mind through a combination of exercise and improving habits that promote mental health. Looking back on the quarter, have you succeeded in these things? if not, please explain.

Well it's kind of funny, like with everything else I've learned this quarter, what I initially thought would be the course of action, was anything but. That doesn't mean that I've improved my mental health through exercise and relaxation, but it does mean that how I've done that looks a lot different, and I've learned a lot even from the lulls during the quarter, when I fell off of the horse, and had to learn from my mistakes, live with them, and just get right up. First of all, You can't expect yourself to become an exercise fanatic overnight, and despite my best intentions, I think I'm hard wired to over analyze things, and this causes a great deal of anxiety in my life, and anxiety is the acid that corrodes mental well being. My intention was to create a healthy state of mind, so I could comprehend and do some serious analytical thinking about big issues. In the past it's been hard to delve into these things passionately because I've had to work, and like all working adults, I have responsibilities. So I thought, 'wow, here is an opportunity to practice some self health type stuff, continue reading literature, and wrap up all of the things that have been going on in my brain, and unbeknownst at the time, prepare myself for the work that I want to do my senior year. It doesn't look like linear progression, I can say that. I have ridden my bike more, and taken alternate transportation, and have been conscious of the decisions I make, more than I have ever been in my whole life, and regardless if I've fucked up here and there, I have a place to start. I know what I want. It's simple really, I kind of candidly outlined it, on the "short list" picture: Exercise, eat vegetables, spend time with family and friends, and do meaningful things. It's really that easy. Thanks to this quarter, or should I say, the freedom allotted, I've been given the time to process and really think about what it is I want out of life and who I am, and that doesn't mean that I've plateaued. Life is this constant changing thing, and part of being wise, and "growing up" is weathering this change with responsibility to your body and mind. It feels great to have committed to a project. Everyday I have ridden my bike, and even in the morning, when I'm too tired, I've taken the bus. I've eaten less meat. I've committed to these things and I've done them. And it hasn't been easy, it's been very hard at times. These are big life changes, and towards the end I went through a pretty dark cloud to appreciate what is really meaningful. Again, sorry for sounding high highfalutin, but this is the venue to do so. So in that sense, I know now: Yes, when I eat shitty food, it makes me feel like shit. When I exercise I feel better. When I'm doing something meaningful I feel a sense of purpose in life that fills me up. When I'm spending time with family and friends I feel great. Simple. This quarter I've had time to flex my head and refine, process, practice, think, ruminate, about all these simple things. So the end result is not a super happy, in shape me, working for the lead enviro group, but still, what I am is happy. I am happy with who I am. I've decided to take small, realistic steps in the right direction and I've succeeded in doing so. I said I was going to find out how other people can do these things, but I forgot that I need to first figure out how to apply these things to myself. I need to ground myself first. I'm working on that. And I am satisfied with the results, and wouldn't change the road I've taken to get here.    

Numbers!

Number of miles ridden on my bicycle: 580
Number of miles ran:100
Amount of money spent on the bus: $150
Hot Yoga classes completed: 28
Hot yoga poses completed during those classes: 700
Amount of money spent over the course of the quarter at various farmer's markets (University, Queen Anne, and Capital Hill): $200
Amount of money spent at the capital Hill Food Co-op over the quarter: $480
time spent during "writer's block": 40 hours

Composting!

This one is very, very simple.
Low tech. While I could have bought an Ikea composter, this is easy and simple. You put food scraps into a bin, it's that easy, creates great garden compost (minus the plastic that shouldn't be in there) and cuts down on gaseous build ups in land fills. This is just a Kirkland kitty litter tub converted for the purpose.

Little, daily actions, that amount to some big things in the long run. Or at least we can hope. It's a start.

Short list