I’ve had a mild obsession with going green and being healthier lately.

The more I learn about my impact and begin to implement healthier changes in my life, the more questions I have. With more questions comes more answers and it becomes obvious that everything is connected.

What you eat, how you feel, what chemicals you put in your body and your environment — all of these things matter. You begin to see the chemicals in the bathroom cleaners — that we paradoxically use to get that sparkling white idea of clean — get flushed down the drain, into the water system which come back to you in the forms of your everyday food and water. Those chemicals give you cancer. And, they give the entire the entire planet cancer.

It seems daunting at first. But, really. It’s not.

Because, once you start — you can’t stop! You begin to realize that not only are the changes doable, but they are necessary.

For me, it started with this nagging little voice that said, “What are you so attached to, really? What are you afraid of, really?”

I’ll tell you what I’m afraid of! I’m afraid that when I actually look at how bad my impact is and how lame I’ve been, I’ll never be able to look at myself with any respect again and will implode into the guilt and shame of it all.

Once I realized I was perhaps being slightly over-dramatic — I put my big girl pants on and started gently wading out of denial. I just started where I was. I mean, it is what it is. This is where I am. This is where we are. Let’s just deal with it, pull ourselves out of the matrix and get on with it already. We’re living in insanity right now!

I began where I always need to begin when I need to change a bad habit. With simple mindfulness. I became more aware of my daily life. My routine, the things I used and for what purpose I used them, my own health. I surrendered to the possibility that it’s all related. I started by just paying attention and asking a lot of questions — trying not to judge myself and with the intent to just raise my awareness.

I developed a simple curiosity.

About things:
What am I using this for?
How is it made?
What is it made of?
Is it good for me?
Is it bad for me?
What is going to happen to it when I’m finished with it?
What sort of impact does it have on the system as a whole?
Could this impact come back to harm me?

About my routine/process:
What am I doing this for?
Is there a better way?
Is this good for me?
Is this bad for me?
How does this feel?

Some of the answers became immediately obvious once I asked the question. Some answers needed digging. (Thanks, Internet!) Some answers were so complicated that they just get tabled for the time being. But the question plants a seed.

Shocked by my own complacency.

As I started educating myself, I was amazed by own denial and subsequent impact. And, here I thought I was a good person!

The good news is, once I got out of denial it was amazingly easy to stay out of denial. And, a whole new world opened up to me.  I automatically made changes that were easy for me. The curiosity became infectious and leached into other parts of my life. It’s no longer just about de-cluttering, or greening my lifestyle. It is also about my health and well-being — from doing more yoga to cutting out the chemicals in my life. From eating more nutritious foods to dusting off the cobwebs in my head.

I’m not sure when it happened, but before long I passed the point of no return. Now, I can’t not consider these questions for every one of my actions.

I kicked off my 33rd year with a lot of Virgo Rampaging. De-cluttering my desk turned out to be just the tip of the iceburg … of a huge mountain of stuff that’s needs to be sorted. And, I find myself more than happy to sort it. It has become a meditation. It has given me a sense of empowerment in the midst of all the chaos.

Stay tuned for more about what I’ve done, what I’m working on and a few confessions along the way. In the meantime, I’d love to hear any tips, tricks, trials, tribulations, what-have-you from you about your greening/getting healthier experiences.