Happy SAD Moments
I've always been a little shy about my hair. Yes, my hair. I have big ears so, in true SAD fashion, I've learnt over the years to hide them behind my luscious locks. Not forgetting, of course, my high forehead. Yes, ever a SAD person, I make sure my foreheard is always covered by some sort of fringe. This has led to a frustratingly restricted number of hairstyles and, dare I say, a preoccupation with things that are not that important in the big scheme of life. Nevertheless...
Then the other day, out of sheer desperation I twirled a few hairs and stuck a pin in them. Nothing fancy. Something I've always wanted to do. In fact, something I've always done at home when noone else is looking!! But that day, I hadn't washed my hair, it badly needed a cut, the greys were showing through and it was just plain unruly.
So in went the pin. And the next day and the next...and I loved it. I loved giving my hair a little twirl and changing its style .
Yes, it's probably been thirty years since I was creative with my hair. I actually felt young again. I felt that I could have fun and not have to maintain my typically conservative persona.
The unbelievable happened when one of my younger and more fashionable colleagues commented that my hair looked really nice styled in that way. Whippee!!!!! And there I was quite resigned to showing the greys and being a bit of a dag (=1970's slang for being uncool). Her comment still brings a smile to my face.
I'm glad that I felt comfortable enough in myself to change my hair even if it was out of necessity. And even if it took 30 years.
SAD has a way of enslaving you.
I had happily tried different styles when I was about 14 but someone I respected showed their disapproval. I listened to them. If only I had realised that one person's comments are only absolute if I allow them to be. I clearly hadn't developed my sense of who I was and what I liked. For me, it had to come from someone else. The safe way. The SAD way!
Take a different road and see where it leads you.
I live a life as green as can be, which means that sometimes I'm not very green. When my energy is low green living doesn't happen very much. When I feel good, I love the challenge of finding ways I can be greener here at my suburban patch.
Some of my green goals are:
- Buy thoughtfully; buy local, buy eco-friendly, not buy at all, reduce packaging
- Save paper; reduce photocopying; recycle paper, introduce students to recycled paper for some tasks, go electronic
- Walk where possible and use public transport; I'm not very organised and I'm quite busy at times so this goal happens sometimes
- Eat fresh and home-cooked food
Now it may surprise and even shock some readers that I occasionally buy from the take-away franchises, rarely buy in bulk and sometimes come home with a plastic bag I don't really want.
My priority is to eat. Full-stop. Eating green is really my second priority. I've never been a big eater and when I engage in a task I forget about everything else. There have been times over the years when I chose not to buy products because they weren't green enough and then when I got hungry there was nothing to eat. So I will eat fast food if the alternative is too insubstantial and I've got no time to prepare something. I will buy individual items if the alternative- given my lifestyle and how I manage it- means that uneaten food is wasted.
September
Lately I've notched up a few greenie points (these are the green version of brownie points) in the following ways:
- I finally got a bike. It needs some adjustments. Hopefully these holidays I can check out the local bike path that goes through the grasslands. I also want to try riding to the local shops and library....
- No TV on Tuesdays. Still feels weird! But I'm actually thinking about trying to be more selective about what I watch as well as thinking about making another time in the week when I rule out TV. I often put it on for company.
- On Saturday I bought a new jacket. I managed to say no to the store assistant. when she offered me one of their glossy bags.
- Three cheers because lately I've been remembering my green shopping bags!!!
- Using lemons off the tree in the backyard (it's the closest I get to producing my own food)
