Random Hippiness
Here is a list of some hippy changes I've made over the past few months. None of them merit a solo blog post, but taken together maybe it'll look like I'm really moving and shaking around here.
I stopped using toothpaste. I think the baking soda in toothpaste was making my teeth more sensitive, so I switched to using just a toothbrush with a drop of peppermint essential oil. First I tried just a toothbrush with water, but the taste of the toothbrush by itself revealed a little too much just how disgusting the practice of daily tooth brushing is. Seriously, I use a glass for water and I put it in the dishwasher. I use the same object to scrape the crap off the inside of my mouth and I leave it sitting in a steamy bathroom for months? It just goes to show that our concepts of cleanliness are RELATIVE at best (oppressive and isolating at worst.) Anyway, the key to leaving dentifrice behind is starting with a new toothbrush that hasn't seen toothpaste before, and once a day dropping on a bit of peppermint. Peppermint essential oil is slightly antiseptic, or so I tell myself. Also, I floss frequently.
Okay, moving on.
We gave up Cheerios. There's nothing inherently unhealthy about cheerios, it's just that they are so easy to put into a cup as a snack that the kids were requesting cheerios every time we went in the stroller or the car, making them less hungry for "real" lunch. Also, their constant yelling for snacks every time we leave the house, even if they JUST ATE BREAKFAST makes me crazy. So we stopped getting cheerios, and now if I want to go somewhere with snacks I have to cut up apples and carrots or assemble other real foods. Probably this benefits their overall health, not only my smugness. Now as soon as we get in the car they yell for apples. It's not any less crazy-making but I maybe I feel better about it.
And finally,
I took my fist barefoot run yesterday. I realized the other day that my sneakers are so worn down in the back that they're hurting my feet just to wear them, but I don't have the cash to shell out for a new pair of running shoes. So I decided to try what the crazy men do and go without shoes. I did a 2-mile loop around the block and found the classic barefoot running advice pretty easy to apply... strike with the ball of the foot, keep knees bent — those are things you automatically do in order not to hurt yourself. I liked noticing how springy my instep is without the help of shoes, and it reminded me of my years of modern dance in which a fair amount of running and leaping occurred barefoot. Downside: my skin felt a little stingy by the end, and I didn't get that free flying feeling that I love about running. I don't know if running will be as exciting to me in the future if barefoot is the only option, but it's nice to feel like it's a poverty-friendly option for exercise. You know, other than working in the fields.
Oh, and Dan wore an African shirt to church today. We are becoming "those" people...