Lately, I've been confused. Really, honestly confused. So much in life has me wondering about things bigger than myself, but yet, things that trickle down to my everyday. While I can't say that yesterday's Adventure Day was completely about my mind's wanderings of late, I've decided to dedicate the entire post to my musings. Why not? This is the third-to-last post and my opportunities to share are dwindling (sure, I could keep blogging, but I'm taking a purposeful hiatus, so...yeah).
My vagueness has probably left YOU confused now. Tis ok. I shall elaborate:
THIS...is trash.
Yep, the above is a lovely photo of mine and Aeryn's community trash can, located in our apartment's kitchen. Too much info to be sharing with the readers? I think not. You decide.
Anyway, my point in sharing this is that it exists. It is varied. It is colorful. It is massive. It actually has MASS. And that last bit is the problem.
See, the existence of our trash simply reminds me that each apartment in our complex has equally large trash cans, if not larger ones. They get filled just as frequently, if not more frequently because I do all I can to recycle. Thinking about all that trash then gets me thinking about how many apartment complexes are in Austin, how many 'Austins' could fit in Texas (based on population), and how many Texas's (based on population) could fit in the U.S. That's A LOT. That doesn't even take into account large-scale events, especially wasteful people, and BUSINESSES. Don't even get me started on businesses. What about wasted food? There's that, too.
It's all so...frustrating.
Especially because there's not much I can do. Where the hell is all of this trash going? In the ground...in junkyards...it's definitely still stickin around.
Not ok. And what's worse is again, I have no solution right now.
Moving on...
My socks. I've had these socks for ages and ages and ages. They are not necessarily my favorite socks by any means. They are knee socks and are so bright they hurt your eyes and they are STRIPED. They have also got to be very thin over the years (notice the hole). But I can't bear to throw them away because they are still useful. They serve as a barrier between my feet and my shoes. They keep the soles of my feet covered when I walk around the apartment. They also keep my legs warmer when I wear them under a pair of pants. So many people throw away perfectly good things or don't see the purpose in continuing the use of 'broken' or 'old' or 'outdated' things.
Even if I refused to continue wearing these sockes, I'd try to do something with them. Pinterest has taught me that everything can be reused, and with the current state of today's world, we need to try for that as much as possible. (And hey, it's all so much cheaper than buying new anyway.) We live in a consumer-driven society. The solution so often is to just throw stuff out and buy new stuff. At least give stuff away if you can or repurpose stuff. Or realize that you don't NEED new stuff all the time in the first place. Maybe some of this is sparked by me being an AmeriCorps volunteer for these past months, but I've always been frugal and thrifty--a trait that I'm proud of, especially as I realize that it's benefitting the environment.
And before all of my readers go out and purchase me some new socks, I'm going to say that I have plenty of funds for plenty of pairs of socks--that is not the point. If you missed the point, then I'm sorry, that's my best shot at explaining. (One doesn't even wear socks that often in Austin, Texas--sandals and flip flops are much more common.)
Ok, I'll step off my soapbox now. So many other thoughts have been circling my brain, and I'm such an impatient, get-me-results-now person that I just can't let it go. Ali Problems.
But hey, see all the stuff below? Would you believe that I carried ALL of it to the College Forward junior class that I subbed for?! (Minus the boxes in the pic...) Yep, I'm subbing once a week for awhile in the evenings, but I gotta work out a different system...Ali P. is a weakling.
Haha, randomness is my specialty, and that's why you get tidbits like the above. I hope you enjoyed yet another special edition of: Skipping & Tripping in Ali's Adventure Shoes.
No comments:
Post a Comment