reconnect.

at primal con, mark talked about his next project. he has a new book coming out (in a year or so....) about "reconnecting." his premise is ..... what's next? eating primal. moving. playing. taking care of ourselves... physically. but, what else? what he mentioned at primal con was this idea of reconnecting with the earth.

i'm excited, because this is where everything comes together for me....... several things have been changing all at once within me. i feel like i'm in a new place. growing to be a new person. a paradigm shift. it's my own reconnecting...........

one of the key moments that started these changes was reading the book serve God, save the planet by matthew sleeth. it changed my life. dramatic, i know. first, it is about living more sustainably from a Christian perspective. deep inside, this is something i've always questioned. it hasn't really been a struggle, but when i finally read this it made so much sense! second, it was written by an emergency room physician who has retired from medicine and gone on to teaching / speaking / writing about living a more sustainable lifestyle. i don't know, somehow i was able to identify with dr.sleeth's struggles of the expectations of how a dr. (or anyone successful) is suppose to live in our consumer focused society. this has been a struggle....... people think vibram boy and i are crazy for driving older cars and for buying the little house instead of a mcmansion.

so, back to the book.................. from a Biblical perspective, dr. sleeth talks about saving our earth's resources, spending more time with family and consuming less. this is all part of being a good steward for Christ. it's not just about tithing our 10% back to the church. right? it's being wise with our money and our time and our crap stuff. it's making good decisions and to not live beyond our means. to give generously to others. and, the earth's resources too.

this was completely eye awakening for me. of course! this is where it all started to come together........ we've always been conservative. safe investments. savings. don't overspend. pay off debt. i got it. i was a careful with money. all of a sudden, i understood why i recycled. why i tried to make things. to re-use and re-purpose things. why we didn't have television (we have lived without t.v. since we've been married. ok, a short stint when we moved and had 3 free months of cable...) i understood why i felt the deep down desire to consume less.

i want my house life to look like a magazine. i want nice things. the perfect kitchen, beds made, cozy living room, manicured yard. always ready for company with a pot roast in the oven. but, i've come to understand that there is a more important life out there.......... we all know this. we know life isn't really about the clothes or the cars or the big house, but, so many of us give into those things anyways. and, let's face it..... it's easy to do. especially in america. thank you product marketing.... magazines, ads, commercials, infomercials, billboards, junk mail (and they know..... i am a total. sucker. for good design.)

so, reading serve God, save the planet was the beginning to overcoming consumerism. how does this tie into being primal? it goes back to this idea of reconnecting. not too long after reading s.G.s.t.p. we also started reading mark's daily apple. we slowly worked our way into the primal lifestyle. and, kinda like being a good steward, isn't just about money......... being primal isn't just about eating meat. it's an entire lifestyle that gets to the roots behind what we are eating and why, and how we can best take care of ourselves. the primal blueprint offers suggestions on how to work out efficiently and be the strongest, leanest, healthiest body. mark addresses sleep and playing and living with less stress. it is an entire lifestyle that addresses how to live our healthiest life.

and, now mark wants to address my same question......... what else? what's next?

putting these things together is helping me focus on my own reconnecting............. what's next? reconnecting with God. reconnecting with people. with nature. with a simple, yet fulfilling life.

things we do now....... baby steps remember............. recycle. buy grass fed beef. buy seasonally. buy locally. buy organic (this could be a whole other blog topic....). support local businesses. use the library. i try to "upcycle" old clothes into new pieces. shop at goodwill or consignment or antique stores. shop at the local farmer's market. eat meat and vegetables. play outside...... walk, sprint, lift heavy things, frisbee, catch, hike, yoga. keep things low key..... honestly, we don't have much stress. sleep 8 hrs a night. yes, really (ok, my sleep schedule can be unpredictable...). avoid harmful ingredients (parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, petrolatum, etc.) make bath & beauty products.... we make our own laundry soap, tooth paste, face wash, moisturizers, etc.

our ultimate 5 year plan.............. compost. garden. have chickens for eggs (and meat, i guess). goats for milk and meat. vibram boy says rabbits for meat ..... i'm not there yet......... bees for honey. collect rainwater. use grey water. have solar panels and wind turbines. to be 75% off the grid (maybe 100% off in 10 years). to be flexible, strong and healthy and maintain our ideal body weights. to live in a tiny house or airstream trailer or storage container. to be saving for retirement (my goal is to retire from medicine in 2018............ then i'll open a yarn store or yoga studio or sell eggs at the farmer's market).

other books i've read that just continue to support my new ideas (might be nice to post book reviews, huh?)........

the four agreements by don miguel ruiz.

the gifts of imperfection by brene brown.

affluenza: the all consuming epidemic by john de graff, david wann & thomas naylor.

the alchemist by paulo coelho.

the vegetarian myth by lierre keith.

topics may seem a little broad, but these books are part of my personal paradigm shift are helping me get to this place of living my most authentic self, living for God, living a healthy, sustainable life and keeping things simple.

how are you reconnecting??

happy wednesday.

vibram girl.