Altering Expectations

Stephanie and I had a gathering a while ago with a varied group of our closest friends and after dinner, folks pitched in to help clean up. In the hustle of tidying, I overheard someone say to another, "Oh, the dishwashing liquid is eco-friendly."

And in a quieter tone, "That means it doesn't work."

Then I watched as she used half the bottle of concentrated detergent, a squirt at a time, on the rag she was using to wash the dishes instead of filling the sink with soapy water. She was used to using a commercial brand.

We have been using the eco-soap for a while now and have come to understand that it works as well as commercial soaps, but it doesn't work the same. Furthermore, I found that in order to use it properly, we also must change the way we work. A squirt per dish, or on a brush will not achieve good results like filling the sink would. Also, the sink won't be as sudsy as when using conventional dish soap.

That same weekend, I had a discussion in which I described how I was growing black locust trees that would one day become a fuelwood hedge. With the trees at a fairly young age, I will be able to harvest firewood off of them, without killing them or cutting down the entire tree, that I can use to heat our home. My friend asked the obvious question, "How many trees will it take to get the 5 cords of wood you need to heat for a winter?" My answer was that growing the hedge isn't the only facet of the fuelwood solution. In order for us to be able to practically grow our firewood in this way, we'd need to drastically reduce our consumption. We'd need to change our expectations; We'd need to change our need; We'd need to change our way.

More people are getting used to buying organic and locally grown produce and realizing that real food doesn't need look to like an illustrator's pictures of food to be good. It can be shaped irregularly, may have some spotting, may not appear waxy and "perfect" and be more delicious and better for all parties involved in its growth, purchase and eating (including the earth). Why wouldn't we take the same stance toward all of our choices? Are we willing to change our expectations, our needs, our ways of living to embrace food and products that are actually better for all involved?