Dear Earth, eco-living is a PAIN.

Yesterday at 5pm I was sitting miserably at a very cold train station, at the end of a very long day, with two changes and an hour an a half of travelling ahead of me. If I’d driven, I’d have been home and cosy ten minutes ago, greeting my crazily happy dog. Public transport, schmublic transport.

Making ecological choices often involves some inconvenience. I’ve given up flying and so holidays abroad are much more complicated. I spend a fortune on our eco-dog food, peat-free compost and plastic-free deodorant. I feel awkward mentioning climate change when talking with strangers about the extreme weather, as I make a point of doing.

Of course, as a middle class white woman living in the global North, these choices are a huge privilege. I’m not worried about whether this year’s paltry crops will feed my children.

It’s good to remember this, and it’s also good to be realistic, and to start where we are. For many of us, enjoying the taste of meat or butter gets in the way of us becoming more plant-based. An over-full life means we don’t have time to walk instead of driving. Needing to feel ‘normal’ means it’s hard to choose second hand clothes. If that’s where we are, that’s where we are.

We can notice this resistance when it arises, and meet it with friendly understanding. We can acknowledge the fears underneath, often held by younger parts of us that need our attention. We can reassure them that we have their back.

I found a waiting room at the train station. It was warm, and it even smelt good! I read about a drug addict in Japan who was in recovery, and her story lit up my evening. Maybe it was okay to be where I was after all.

When we are in the right frame of mind, the ‘pain’ of eco-living becomes a joy. We cherish the slow walk to the supermarket. We enjoy getting to know our own country on holidays. We relish the delicious sweetness of our (much more expensive) locally grown parsnips.

We reconnect with gratitude, and suddenly we are the recipients of endless abundance.

Thank you, dear Earth. Love, Satya <3

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Photo by Tim Oun on Unsplash