Baby Steps

We've been trying to be more conscious of how we live recently. We try to buy organic and/or locally grown produce whenever we can. We buy milk in re-usable, glass bottles (which, by the way, tastes a million times better, too--bonus!) We recycle whatever we can. We bought some re-usable, cloth grocery bags so that we don't waste plastic or paper bags.

The problem is that all of this consciousness? It requires you to actually be, you know, CONSCIOUS of what you're doing. In other words, you have to PLAN AHEAD. I'm very much a stop-by-the-store-on-the-way-home-from-wherever kind of person and between needing to return the milk bottles and remember the grocery bags, I've had to do all manner of planning just for a quick trip to the supermarket.

It's taken a lot of work, but we're finally at the point where I remember to take everything with me about 80% of the time. (I know. 80% sounds low, but two weeks ago, it was 0%. Progress is being made.) This evening, I went to the store by myself. I remembered the bags. I remembered the milk bottles. I remembered the shopping list and the car keys and the cell phone. I was feeling oh-so-proud of myself.

Until I got to the checkout counter and realized I had left my wallet at home.