You are your choices.
​~Seneca

For about a month now, my partner + I have been challenging ourselves to take shorter showers. We want to use less water + know that our showers are a great place to work toward this goal.

We decided to embark on this experiment all at once + on a day that neither of us was working. We each stated the time we wanted to stay under + timed each other's showers. With a lot of hustling on my part + less "standing around" on his, we were each able to stay under our chosen times. (I have hair + he doesn't, so we have different goals.)  :)
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Once I tasted that success, I was motivated to shift the way I take showers toward using even less water + was eventually able to drop my time down to a 1 1/2 minutes below my original goal. That was pretty exciting! He was able to knock 30 more seconds off of his time. Now every day, we're chasing that new "possible".

That is one of the most significant take-aways from this experiment in shifting our habits toward shorter showers: Change creates momentum + desire toward even greater change! 

We've been focused on taking shorter showers for about a month now + are still timing our showers almost every day. We haven't exceeded our goal times all month!

A few thoughts + observations I've had along the way with this experiment:

• do it together :: My partner asks most mornings if I want him to time me. It's early, so I often need this reminder to hustle. We're holding each other accountable + encouraging each other too.
• keep it playful :: This challenge has been a lot of fun for us. We rev each other up + share the excitement, when we hit new low times. A little element of friendly competition never hurts either.  :)
• interrupt the norm :: Autopilot was my greatest enemy. I would get in the shower with the intention of being quick. Somehow autopilot would take over repeatedly + I'd have to "wake up" to remembering that I was trying to hurry several times during my shower. Moving the soap dish or switching the side the shower curtain opens on helps create an interruption to autopilot.
• begin :: We'll never shift our habits, if we never begin to try. We can't just think about doing better...or intend to start tomorrow. When the thought came, we didn't plan to start...we got up + started.

Part way through this challenge I heard a news story about a town in California experiencing water restrictions due to drought. I felt a sort of solidarity (in some tiny way) with the people livng there that I may not have otherwise. Water is such a precious resource, and we are not guaranteed a never-ending supply. We have so much more work to do, but this experiment has created the momentum + desire to work toward using less + less water every day.

Love,
Jane

How are you feeling, friends?

I hope you are feeling well + rested + content in so many ways...but also...this year has been traumatic. The pandemic continues to take lives. We learned that the window of opportunity to have a significant impact toward slowing climate change is closing faster than many scientists had previously believed. These two factors combined have left me feeling pretty discouraged, powerless + paralyzed at times.

Bulk items are less readily available at the supermarket. We have less access to our go-to experience-based gifts + entertainment. Even the farmer's market felt too crowded to venture into this summer. The nagging feeling that our climate-conscious efforts are too small to make a meaningful impact can threaten our desire to tackle these obstacles. 

And yet, why would we choose to enable climate change rather than to fight it in any small way that we could? Why wouldn't we want to share with our friends + family that climate-conscious choices also promote our contentment...boost our health...save us money...and come from a place of compassion toward others? 

So...I am, again, thinking through ways that I can act anyway. The new year is a great time to take stock + create new plans with new resolve.

Here are a few things I can do...even now: ​

• Eat less meat. 
• Drive less.
• Eat more vegetables + fruits (as local + unpackaged as possible).
• Quit plastic (as much as possible). 
• Choose simplicity.
• Choose less stuff, a smaller home, a smaller wardrobe.
• Use less water + gas + electricity.
• Embrace "enough".
• Practice gratitude.
• Repair, mend.
• Do without for a while.
• Frame these choices in a positive light. When people notice our choices, they also notice how we talk about them. Share the positive aspects! 

In the short term, I want to be more alert to the impact of my decisions. I also want to tackle each of these things on a deeper level...conduct some experiments...and challenge my habits + assumptions. Sounds like fun to me.  :)

Love,
Jane

But joy is never tomorrow.
It is always now.
~Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
​

A cozy evening spent relaxing with loved ones is one of life's greatest gifts. Evenings are long + spacious these days...what a luxury. (That's one way to look at it.).  :) Thinking through what brings comfort, light + laughter in our own evenings might just offer some great inspiration for last-minute gifting. 

When it comes to last-minute gifts, it's nice if we can use some things already in our own cupboards or perhaps find them at a distance no further than the grocery store. Here's what comes to mind for me:

• a favorite evening snack or the things to make one :: make some sweet + spicy nuts to share or give some popcorn kernels along with your favorite toppings + recipe 
• a list of favorite podcasts or a playlist could be added to the above
• a month (or a few) of their favorite streaming service for music or viewing (I loved receiving 3 months of ad-free music last year)
• journaling (or conversation) prompts :: download a digital copy + offer it along with a blank journal for recording 
• all they'd need to make a favorite meal :: tie it all up in a piece of fabric or reuse a basket, box or one of those extra tote bags  :)
• a lovely candle (these are easy to make if there is time)
• a craft kit :: it might be possible to gather supplies from our own collection :: or offer a lovely skein of yarn (you haven't gotten around to knitting yet) along with a favorite hat, scarf or sock pattern 
• a previously enjoyed book :: add a lovely note or conversational post-its throughout
• an offering of babysitting (yes, this is a real gift!!) (as long as it happens)
• a game or puzzle (we enjoyed this one recently + then passed it on)
• a suggestion for a new evening ritual to share

Enjoy your holiday evenings, friends! Wishing you health + love + laughter too.

Love,
Jane

dear bell,
I opened your book because I am thirsty to understand love...to give love...to experience love...to become love. I drank in the words...wrote copious notes...spent time letting them sink in deep. 
​

Months later I wondered where my mind had been during those months + what a comfort to see that I was steeped in the quest for love.
​

Today I know that I have lived this year the way I have because of deep training in...and a deep knowing of...love. 
​

Love is a muscle that can be exercised with intention. The practice strengthens this muscle + it can be found to be quite sturdy + surprisingly resilient.
​

Your words were a part of my training ground, bell. Thank you for all your work toward defining, understanding + sharing love. The world is better for having you in it. This I know for certain.

Love.
Jane
​

I'm a bit slow on these gifting sparks, but I'm also still looking for a few gifts to give...so here we are. I love gifting favorites...things that I love so much...that I hope another might find value in as well. I enjoy this exercise of thinking through some of my favorites + lingering on each one...seeing them for the gifts they are in bringing a little extra light to my day. Maybe you'll be inspired to think through some of your midday favorites as well.

Here are a few of my favorite midday things that I'd love to share:

• A favorite afternoon snack or drink. (Extra points for homemade.)  :) 
• Something with a little extra meaning. These tiny acorns symbolize something special to my partner + I. (Foraged objects can make beautiful gifts.)
• A little something useful. We love these simple cork coasters. (+ they're compostable)
• Something to nurture + watch grow. (Plants are such a treat!
  
• A reminder. My partner actually said this one to me a few weeks ago..."maybe we could have matching mugs to use at work...and when we use them they'll help us feel connected, even when we're apart. (I usually feel that no one needs another mug, but this might make me change my mind!) 
• Something to encourage staying connected with the outside world (even when it's cold). A hand knit hat, favorite pair of socks, nature journal or bird feeder might remind us to look out + get outside too.
• Some lovely postcards + real stamps. (Include a heartfelt message of your own on one.)
• A gift card to a local, small business...maybe a florist that uses locally grown flowers, a taco place or a coffee shop.

I have to say that once I got up to look around for things to photograph, I saw lots of favorites...another benefit of living simply. I have almost only favorite things + not much else. This exercise helped me "see" them anew. I'm still smiling about all the goodness I already have.  :)

Love, 
​Jane

Cynthia Bennett designs + sews all of the clothing for Devon's Drawer in her Los Angeles studio. She uses natural fibers + makes each piece to order which minimizes waste... "no pile of unsold clothing at the end of the season". Pieces are made with longevity of wear in mind + free patch kits are offered if needed. Children's sizes also available.

All lovely photos via Devon's Drawer. This + lots of other fair brands can be found on our ethical brands page whenever needed. The most fair clothing is what's already in your own drawer.  :)

The free soul is rare,
but you know it when you see it.
~Charles Bukowski

I've been on a quest to know enough for years. It's still not always easy or second nature. I'm not sure why it seems to be human nature that we are always looking outward for more. Maybe it's a sort of survival instinct...to keep looking for more food so that we don't starve...to stay vigilant about the state of our shelter so that we don't freeze or bake in the sun. I don't know why, but I sometimes have a hard time staying in a state of awareness about enough. I tend toward looking around my surroundings + wondering how I can make things better.

There are a few things (that we can surely live without...we have been for years) that could make our lives just a little bit lovelier. My partner + I have been spending time in our bedroom in the mornings + in the evenings. I have avoided bedside tables that tend to collect clutter, but it would be nice for him to have a place to set a drink on his side of the bed. It would also be nice to have a light that we could turn on at the switch when we enter the room + that illuminated our room enough for reading in the evenings.

I have collected some images of bedside tables + lights...and it's these images that attract my desirous gaze. I don't like feeling wanty or lacking, so those feelings remind me to look at the elements we already have with appreciation + admiration for how they serve us well. We have lovely laundry baskets. I love their golden color, their beautiful texture + their large size that keeps their contents out of sight from my perch on the bed.

We have a lovely bed with a comfy mattress atop a sturdy frame. The bedding is made up of so many textures + shades of white. I love how sunlight + shadows play off of them. The soft layers have been collected over decades + each repaired rip + stain just makes it more ours.

I love the green plants that were each started from the first plant we brought home to this house. The stones + rocks + shells that sit on the window sills remind us of adventures we've had...of deserts + mountains + beaches we've walked together over the years. 

We have so much that is so good. And we have each other. We have love...ragged, tested, chosen love. Ahh...that's better.  :)

Love,
​Jane