5 Important Things I Learned This Week

Yesterday I finally cleaned out my garage. It had only been a year since I last cleaned it, but it’s shocking how dirty it can get and filled with junk that doesn’t know where to go. While I was cleaning, I thought about things I have recently learned and wanted to share with all of you.

1. Plastic is bad and stupid. When I built my home, 22 years ago, I committed to making it as organic, recycled, and as efficient as possible. I made some great choices (solar, for example, and recycled tile). And I’ve made some bad choices. But the worst was thinking that plastic, and recycled plastic, would be the best choices for things. I fell for the recycle, reuse bull shit. My expensive Restoration Hardware plastic wicker furniture is breaking up into sharp and dangerous pieces. My recycled plastic Trex outdoor decking and recycled plastic raised beds are shedding bits of microplastics into the earth. Even the plastic plant containers haven’t held up, and some are peeling and polluting my garden. From here on out, I am going to avoid plastic anything wherever I can. And I’m sorry for the damage I’ve already caused. But now, where does it go? Sigh.

2. We’re all living in our own Private Idaho. My daughter and I were chatting with my ex-husband (a huge sports fan) about the Taylor Swift wedding, and he said he was shocked to find out that Abby Wambach (World Cup Soccer Winner) was married to Glennon Doyle. We were shocked to find out he didn’t know that. Abby and Glennon are all over my social feeds, and I’ve read many of Glennon’s books. They’ve been married for 9 years. I’m not saying this to shame him, but to illustrate that we all have a private universe around us that often others can’t even see. This is why it’s really important to talk to people — especially people who live in different universes than us. You may not care about Abby and Glennon, and in fact, I don’t really care either. But it’s a small example of how, through our media consumption, we can see the world almost completely differently from one another. But by the way, according to my social media, Lindsey Graham is dead. And so is, most likely, Mitch McConnell. And if you don’t know, now you know.

3. FIFA really is corrupt. First, there was the Cabo Verde game. Then the Egypt game. This is the first World Cup where I am fully paying attention and watching most of the games, and it is illuminating. Look, there is a lot of money at play with these games. And people have a vested interest in certain countries winning. All I will say about that is that in my Private Idaho, no one wants Argentina to win. Cabo Verde and Norway won our hearts. But the best news is that so many people are learning new things about world history from watching the games unfold. For those who have eyes to see, let them see. Let’s make the next head of FIFA a woman, please. (Also, on my social media, I saw a trailer of a documentary that illustrates both this point and my prior point: COPA 71)

4. Sometimes the best things are the things we don’t do. My favorite flower this week is Queen Anne’s Lace. It’s commonly known as a weed. I’m tired of weeding. I don’t do much of it anymore. But there it stands, so beautiful and glowing, swaying in the summer breeze. I’m grateful for it. And while the whole country seems to be talking and worrying about the explosive diarrhea caused by a parasite that our government used to help monitor and control in the before times, my grandkids are feasting on wild wineberries that again, I never planted and stopped trying to control.

   

5. I’m thinking about downsizing. About 25 years ago, in the middle of Iceland, I heard a voice that said: “I want to move.” It shocked me. I realized it was true and went on to build my dream house in the woods, where I have raised my three children and lived happily ever since. But as I get older and my kids have moved on, I am hearing that voice again. My current home is large, complicated, and a shit ton of work. And I’m not even talking about the garden, which is even more work. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. But I can’t stop thinking about it and telling people about it. It could be a bit of procrastination since my book is due in three months, and it’s hard (is it my fight or flight instinct kicking in?). But I’ve now interviewed over 50 people for my book, and I am seeing patterns and cycles of life playing out. Getting older changes how you live in the world. And for those of us who don’t have partners, it makes the choices more interesting. I am learning to realize I am not stuck anywhere I don’t want to be. So, how do I want to spend the rest of my life? NOT cleaning out my garage, that’s for sure. But here is what I AM sure of: it’s always important to listen to those inner voices. My inner voice is longing for a simpler life. I’ll keep you posted on where it takes me. But first, I have to finish my book.