Our small acts matter – they may not make the cover of a magazine or have a world-wide ripple effect but all of us performing positive actions adds up.
Here are some recent, if not unsurprising, headlines:
Coronavirus fears spark ‘panic buying’ of toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer
Coronavirus live updates: New cases in South Korea surge
FEMA preparing for possible coronavirus emergency declaration
In a world where we control so little, here’s how I exerted some control in just one week with teeny, tiny mouse steps.
STRAWS: Lunching with friends, we order the house specialty: oversized Margaritas. Each comes with a plastic straw – as did our ice water. One of my companions protests and nicely and politely tells the waitress to please relay our message to the owners: “No More Plastic Straws – treat the universe gently or we won’t be coming back.”
I vow to mimic this lesson.
PLASTIC BAGS: Tired of looking at my huge stash of plastic bags – collected from newspapers and retail shops over the last couple of months – I search for a destination for those bags. My first stop: Walgreens – no dispenser. I drive to Target. No dispensers visible. I ask and am directed to a spot – hidden away near the restrooms.
I drop off my stash and go on my merry way.
BONE BROTH: One of many things we CAN control is what we put in our mouths. Upon the recommendation of my friend Dr. Tanya Goldberg – and emboldened by tasting her delicious homemade bone broth – I decide to make my own. I buy the ingredients, hunt up my slow cooker and begin cutting and simmering. Voila: bone broth.
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
3-4 lbs. of beef marrow and knuckle bones
2 lbs. short ribs
½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
4 quarts filtered water
3 celery stalks
3 carrots, halved
3 onions, quartered
A handful of fresh parsley
Sea salt
Directions:
Place bones in a pot or a crockpot, add apple cider vinegar and water and let sit for 1 hour so the vinegar can take the minerals out of the bones.
Add more water if needed to cover the bones.
Add the vegetables, bring to a boil and skim the scum from the top and discard.
Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 24-72 hours.
During the last ten minutes of cooking, throw in a handful of fresh parsley.
Cool broth. Strain. Make sure all marrow is knocked out of the bones and into the broth.
Add sea salt to taste.
Store in refrigerator up to 5-7 days or in the freezer up to 6 months.
Can also use in soups and stews.
Three things – two that help the environment – one that directly nourishes my family – I accomplished this week.
Positive actions keep us centered and optimistic that what comes our way, we will manage.
How are you changing your actions? Altering your environment? Making this world a better and healthier place to live?
I’d like to know. Because small acts matter.
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor