The Tree High-Fiver

Photo credit: flickr Fellowship of the Rich

My friend, The Holy Roller, calls me the "Tree High-Fiver."  She is on the board at church, goes to church CONVENTIONS even, so of course I have to refer to her as The Holy Roller (THR).  Anyway, THR claims that I'm not so crunchy after all -- that I'm not a Tree Hugger. I know, gasp! right? That I'm more of a Tree High-Fiver.  I think she's actually right.  I like to do things that "help the Earth" or are "eco-friendly" but I'm not ultra-passionate and I'm not trying to go off-grid or anything. I'm just slightly crispy, rather than crunchy.  I'm also not a vegetarian, I don't buy all organic food , I'm not a hardcore locavore and I haven't boycotted Wally World.  But I DO follow the dirty dozen, try not to buy many processed foods and am slowly learning to make more things from scratch.

Last week Food, Inc was on PBS.  (You can still watch it online for free til Thursday, April 29!)  I've been wanting to see this movie for a while now, but missed it in the theater and it wasn't exactly the big New Release that would be carried in Red Box.  PBS to the rescue.  I knew all about the content-- how our food chain is screwed.  I knew it was not going to be easy to watch. I also knew I needed BigDaddy to watch it with me.  It would be vital to our next baby step and we needed to be on the same page.  It WAS difficult to watch, not because of graphic pics (though there were some), but because I was disgusted that we put our trust into the government to provide us with good, clean, healthy food and they can't/won't do anything to ensure that it actually happens.

I'd love to say that it converted me into a Tree Hugger.  It didn't.  Yes, it's great to "Save the Earth" be an "Eco-Warrior," what have you... but selfishly, this is about me and my family being safe and healthy. I'm more of a Femivore in training, if anything. I take notes from THR ;)  This movie helped me realize that I now need to be my family's own food monitor.  And we are at the point where we need to up the ante.

I know some of you are rolling your eyes.  Oh Great!  Yet ANOTHER thing I need to worry about and feel guilty I'm not doing.  But it's not about that.  It IS about taking action to improve the food we eat at home. one step at a time.  If you are part of my Loyal Seven, you know this has been a process for me and my family.  I've been talking about overhauling our lifestyle since the start of this blog.  And even longer than that off-line. It's totally doable, but it does take time. and effort.  Do what you can and go from there.  You can't do everything overnight. We don't want you to get all frustrated and end up hiding in the closet with tequila shots, do we?

So, I'm at a cross-roads once again.  I need to start buying all organic meat. This will in turn be more money, so we will need to eat less meat.  Plus, I don't know how to cook a lot of vegetarian meals, and we will need to eat more meatless options due to buying less meat.  I need to figure all that out. Plus, we've been extra busy and eating easier, faster (less healthy) meals lately.  Mama Bear is out of practice.  I haven't been doing meal plans or making sure we're eating complete, nourishing meals. And of course we haven't planted our garden yet. And my house is a wreck as usual. And BigDaddy is recruiting.  Does this sound familiar or what?

What can I do now? What's my next step?  Visit the local butcher shop that carries local, organic meat.  Doesn't sound like a big deal does it? but it's not a part of my routine.  It's an unknown.  I don't do well with the up-start to a commitment.  After I give our tree a high-five, maybe I can talk it into holding my hand and going with me.