Dairy.

Dairy did me in first.  More than shampoo or toothpaste or plastic-wrapped delicious bacon- half-n-half broke me. On day 9.  I knew I was out of it at home; I stopped at Lambert's on my way and made a quick dash to the dairy section to get my fix ready for the morning coffee.  There were three kinds of half-n-half available to me- one flavored for the Irish, one low fat (?) and one normal.  All had little plastic side spouts for easy pour.  Did I consider the high road and plan to drink my coffee black or with milk?  Did I consider buying out and bringing a reusable cup to my local coffee roaster for an over priced but earth-friendly start to my morning?  Did I consider stopping at Shaw's to see if they had an old school version where you have to gently massage cardboard just-so to get the dairy out of the container.  Yes.  I thought of all these things.  And I promptly spent 2.99 on a little plastic spout that has haunted me since.  Who am I with such weakness?

Plastic Free?

2014 is going to be the year that I try to live plastic free.  Though I know there will be some moments when I decide to purchase plastic, my goal is to strive to live without being responsible for any plastic waste.  I survived day one.  By not leaving my house.  On Day Two, I ventured out to Whole Foods. I know; I am annoying already.  The bulk food aisle had paper containers.  Phew.  The bakery didn't, but the baker was kind enough to wrap the bread in a spare paper bag and didn't think I was totally neurotic for asking.  Just a little, and in a charming way.  (I was in Cambridge, too- did I mention?) I knowingly walked past some of my favorites, with a little too much pride in the disappointment I felt because of the sacrifice it indicated: no bacon, no pre-wrapped meat, no cereal, no yogurt, no CHEESE (except this one ridiculously expensive Cowgirl Creamery wrapped in paper.  I bought it.  No regrets.)  LOOK at all I was doing in my HUGE sacrifice for the Earth!   Produce was a bit tricky- I could buy organic potatoes wrapped in plastic mesh, or Conventional Potatoes (whose growth was responsible for the addition of pesticides to the Earth) with no plastic wrap.  A conundrum that my boyfriend pointed out and made my head spin: Is this neurotic?  Should I bother? Does anything matter?  Is everything corrupt?  Should I just buy the bacon? He made me laugh which snapped me out of my dangerously angsty existential spiral as he found an organic yam- no wrapping.  Conundrum solved- for now.  For years, Mary Oliver has been singing at me (not really- but metaphorically) to "pay attention" and to answer what I am going to do with this 'one wild and precious life'.  I am hoping that this year, as I head to 40, this little exercise gets me to pay attention and in the process remember the wild and precious nature of it all.