After a few days of dancing around shame for not being able to follow the directions of the No Impact Week Experiment, I am making a declaration around what I can do.

What I can do is this:

  • I can reduce the diapers we use and keep the baby dry by focused attention and quick maneuvers. [This is a big one right now because of the severe diaper rash and frequent elimination due to constipation we are dealing with.]
  • I can practice love and patience in all my interactions even though I am extremely tired. [I am grateful for this recognition because this whole experiment of living is about love, and I see the outcome of this attention in my 4 year old’s behavior – there is more closeness and self-regulation on her part.]
  • I can live in a vision of a life of no impact, keeping the dream alive through conversation with my husband, taking notes and doing research for our next move. [We are getting radical and expansive in our considerations about what we are willing to do and where we are willing to live, not only for the planet, but for our family’s health and wellbeing. E.g. off the grid, away from bustling commerce, life education for the kids … ]
  • I can keep our compost and bring it to school for the chickens each day. [If this one practice lived beyond this week, it would be a breakthrough.]

This is not a time in my family’s life for extreme experimentation, and I am finally, mid-week, able to accept this. In the acceptance, I am able to see what I can experiment with and the outcomes I wish to create going forward.

  • Acceptance.
  • Declaration.
  • Action.

Gifts of the process of living into enough.