Wherever You Are

I was flipping through my notebook the other day when I came upon this entry:

The closer I can get to defining my life and activities with values and meaning, the closer I feel to who I am. I want a closer, smaller world where biking is the usual way to get around, vegetarian restaurants are plentiful, coffee houses reign in every block, and my favorite bookstores and libraries are around the corner. One day, maybe I can live in Tempe near Changing Hands and Trader Joe's.


Now here's the key question: do we change the world by seeking communities of like-minded souls? and flocking to those communities? Or do we stay where we are and work to make the community what we long to live in?

If the green-minded folks all flocked to "Green" cities and communities, would they become smugly cloistered in their Amish-like isolation? Or would their modeling send out concentric waves of influence that would eventually shape a different kind of living for the nation? the world?

Obviously, I don't know the answer. But I do believe that sustainability in our daily lives does have a root in frugality and avoidance of debt. Spend only what you have and only on things you truly need.

My husband and I have $17,000 left before we pay off our mortgage and are debt-free. We do not intend to be in debt ever again.

Instead of searching for the bigger, better things to own, we want to find pleasure in what we have earned. Likewise, instead of searching for a better, more suitable world "out there," shouldn't we make our world, our village better?

Maybe it's naive, and this experiment will end in hubby and I saving up money to to flee to a "better" neighborhood. But, imagine, just imagine if it succeeds.

Each of us sustainability nuts spread throughout the world, planted in communities and subdivisions, bringing about change. That dream is definitely worth staying put for.