"Theme From Love Story (Where Do I Begin)"

I think I overcame some of the cliche of this song today, singing it. There is a part of me that remembers the repetitive accompanyment and it's not a pleasant memory. It was also more difficult to sing than I would have guessed. All that jumping back and forth. I'm also not sure about the text. Would this song be helped or hurt if I had seen, or did see, the movie? The jury is still out on this one.

The older I get, the more carefully I shop. I don't always have time to clip coupons, though that's part of it. I still gravitate towards sale signs, or clearance notices. I usually have a list, and I don't detract a whole lot from it.

But these days I also think more about politics when I shop. I think about what I know of this store's political leanings (I never shop at Walmart, or buy pizza from Domino's). What is their stand on environmental issues? (I quite like this one Thai-style noodle thing, but I never purchase it because it's so highly over packaged. Having recyclable or minimal packaging is a plus, and glass is better than plastic even if it is heavier.) Was this shirt made by a child, or adult, in a sweat shop overseas? (I'm still trying to figure out how to determine this, but it's gotten me more interested, again, in making my own clothes as well.)

On the plus side, I like shopping at Aveda, Whole Foods, my local Co-op--in fact, local stores and non-chain stores that can give me what I want are always worth it to me. I'll buy yarn from a local shop rather than order it, if I can. I think about it, about what my actions support.

Of course the next obvious step is to not purchase so much, to scale down my life. I become very disturbed when I think of how much trash we as a family put out on a weekly basis. But to not have things? I'm not ready to go there. I love my stuff. I'm not ready to become a Zen Buddhist like my brother and sell all my possessions on eBay, thereby making it nearly impossible for anyone to buy presents for me forever. I like presents. I like stuff. I'm not ready to become a monk.

For now, I'm going to concentrate on making my buying mean something, if only to me. When my actions correspond most closely to my values, then I am living the life that makes sense. The lines between politics and spirituality blur in good ways.