Local HEROES Clean Water

Choosing OptimismBy Vesta CopestakesThere’s no question that at leastsome of the Gloom and Doom in thenews is very, very real. But rather thanget depressed about it, we can take asimpler, and more pleasurable, pathtoward turning this tide around.KISS – Keep it Simple StupidWe’ve all heard this one and itusually means that simpler is better. Itdoesn’t matter what subject you applythis principle to, it all comes out to thesimpler we live, the easier life is.Food: If you eat heavy, processedfood, not only is your body heavy, butyour heart and soul feel heavy as well.Whatever is in that stuff, it weighs youdown, physically as well as emotionally.Simpler food, fresh vegetables forexample, simply makes you feel better.Light chicken instead of heavy beef.Fresh food instead of packaged food.Not only do they make us feel better,they cost less as well. And if you takeit one step further and make sure yourfood comes from local sources, youeven support your local economy whilemaking your life – well – lighter!Decisions: You can apply KISS to justabout any decision you make. Will itmake your life more complicated – orless complicated? Go simple. Will itmake you happy? Go that way. Will itcost more than you have? Forget it. “Ifin doubt – don’t” applies here as well.Doing nothing is simpler than doingsomething when it comes to addingburdens to your life.Even dating. My mantra – beforeI met Alan – was “I will only date ifthe relationship is an enhancementto my already happy life.” Well, Alanpassed the test and I have to say, lovingsomeone who contributes on everylevel, is a LOT lighter than a personwho weighs you down mentally &emotionally.Going GREENThis is also a simpler approach to life.If you look at just about everything youdo through GREEN lenses, you can findways that take some of the weight outof your life. For one thing, most peoplewho are conscious of the environmentfeel pretty guilty when they know theyare doing something that is un-GREEN.Throw that bottle away and feel theweight of guilt! Recycle it – either inthe bin or if you need cash – collect allthat you use and take it to the cash-backrecycling stations everywhere. Theymake it easy – 24 hours – no people –slip the container through the slot andBINGO! A receipt for cash at the nearbystore.There are so many ways you can gogreen, it’s amazing. Rather than go intothem, I’ll refer you to WCG columnistPatricia Dines and her AskEcoGirlcolumn. Find her in these pages and ifyou have internet, look her up on ourweb site, www.westcountygazette.comat WCG Extra! for past columns withlinks to her resources. And yes, she alsohas her own web site – so check it out forthe FULL STORY! Patricia is an amazingresource of Eco-information!Making a LivingYes, there’s a way to do this simpleas well. Make a living at something youenjoy. Really. You work many hours outof your day and life. If you enjoy whatyou are doing, your heart will be lighter.And for all those people who dependupon jobs that businesses create, thinkagain. Out of a job? You can create yourown job! I did it and have since I was 19.When graphic design work was light, Iput up a poster to clean houses. ThenI looked around my collection of toolsand knowledge and decided to addgarden services. Within three days I wasin business. That gave me three waysto make a living and the variety keptmy sanity. It also allowed me to spendtime with my daughter as she grew up. Icould volunteer at her school, catch hersoccer games, you name it. For a singlemother, this was golden!My daughter is doing that now aswell. The receptionist job she had wasn’tany fun so she went back to cleaninghouses like she did when she was inhigh school and college. The pay isbetter and it allows her flexibility to bewith her daughter! Now I’m sendingdata-entry work her way, something shecan do at home. Where there’s a will…there’s a way!Go LocalThis is a mantra I chant over and overin these pages and support with myShopping, Nursery and Summer Tours.We live in paradise! If we want to keephaving products and services for ourlives, we need to look at where we shopand do business. The more LOCAL it is,the more we will have what we needinto the future. Every dollar we spendlocally supports our local economythrough tax dollars. Those taxes payfor our roads and services from fireprotection to street lights.OPTIMISM - cont’d on page 8“Strength does not come fromphysical capacity. It comesfrom an indomitable will.”--Mahatma Gandhi1/15/09 - www.westcountygazette.com - 7