Small Change, Big Reward December 9, 2011

I was recently adding some windshield wiper fluid to my car, and of course, spilling it all over the place (because I can never find a funnel when I need one.)  Chug-a-lug -– this stuff gushes and spurts out so unevenly.  A huge rush followed by a tiny wisp of a stream. This means most of it winds up on my driveway.  My neighbour saw me struggling and immediately came to my rescue. She didn’t take the jug from my hand and finish the job but she did give me the tiniest tweak that made all the difference in the world.  “Turn the bottle sideways, you won’t spill a drop”, she said.  Cue parting of the clouds, a ray of sunshine and a choir of angels singing. This tiny correction made the wiper fluid flow perfectly. Every last bit of it made it into my windshield wiper reservoir!  What a revelation!

Here’s how I normally hold the bottle–

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the new improved approach–

This got me thinking about how many other areas of my life I toil and struggle with – going along as I also have because, quite simply that’s what I’ve also done.  Even when faced with something truly daunting, something seemingly insurmountable or intractable — sometimes it’s the smallest change that yields the biggest reward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a great mindfulness practice to take a step back from the tolerations in your life and see if there’s a little tweak, a turn, a switch, a tightening or loosening that will make whatever you’re facing better, smoother, easier, and more enjoyable.  If nothing else, I will never waste another drop of wiper fluid again.

Eat, Drink and Be Less Arbitrary- Lynn Ogryzlo Challenges Us To Feast Locally December 1, 2011

I recently caught the tail end of an interview on CBC Radio with Lynn Ogryzlo, local food enthusiast and author of a new book aptly titled, The Ontario Table.  It was an inspired interview with all kinds of locavore tips on how best to enjoy the bounty right in our own backyards. Lynn maintains that having a close relationship with local farmers will provide you entry to a world of fresh, delicious and affordable produce – yes, even in the middle of winter. Lynn raved about the concept of winter gardens — all kinds of root vegetables can thrive under the snow.  Lynn’s description of winter beets grown in this manner was enough to convince me that I’ve been missing out!

One of the biggest reveals was the fact that large manufacturers such as Green Giant, H.J. Heinz, Unico and Alymers (to name a few) use locally grown goods harvested and packaged right here in Ontario.  So supporting them by purchasing their canned  kidney beans, tomatoes, ketchups, soups, etc., is also a wonderfully easy way to support our local economy.

Lynn has taken on the role of fresh food activist  and created the $10 challenge.  She states that if every Ontario family spent $10 a week on food and wine, we would add billions to our local economy and 10,000 jobs!  $10 a week is so easy to do — I could achieve that with my Harmony Organic chocolate milk addiction alone!  In fact, that was really the beauty of Lynn’s interview, she made shopping for local foods seem effortless — little changes each week that add up to big changes over the course of year.  No seismic shift in how you normally shop, tiny tweaks that happen organically (pardon the pun.)

Here’s a link to her $10 challenge — http://ontariotable.com/$10_Challenge.html and here’s the link for her book.  http://ontariotable.com/The_Book.html