Living With Roommates–Part 3

I had a meeting the other day with my roommates about things that have been grating on them lately.  Useful to do, illuminating to be a part of. One continuing point of contention was my continual drying of herbs, orange peels and more on the line I had set up in the kitchen.  I was proud of myself for the personal growth I've been working on the last few years, in that I was finally able to say "I'm not going to stop drying herbs" when the point got brought up again. Living with roommates can be tricky, especially when your values don't align. But I finally realized that just because our interests don't align, doesn't mean I have to compromise anything that isn't completely invasive.  There is no major issue (smell, space, etc) emanating from having one string with hanging herbs or more in the kitchen, and so I didn't back down from having the issue brought forth. In standing up for myself, my roommates must have realized that they just didn't like my aesthetic choices/values and realized that a string of drying objects isn't hurting them. And the amount of stuff I can do with something that simple is fantastic.  A proud moment for me in roommate-dom! And a valid lesson too, I suppose–it's always easier making choices when you live with those whose values align with yours, but it's never impossible to do, even if roommates don't understand. Communication and self-awareness, though, are key.

Living with Roommates–Part 2

A tricky part about living with neighbours...  When they have dogs your beautiful beds might look like this when you come back from a weekend retreat... And your heart might break a little...

So you might have to suck it up and buy some fencing from the dollar store, which will hopefully keep the dog at bay...  Crossing my fingers!

Water Conservation: Baby-Step 1

I've been thinking about water consumption. I can't just right in and build a grey-water processing station in my yard (oh daydreams....) but I can take baby steps:

Washing

Vegetables: Fill a container with water to wash away dirt. Do a whole bunch all at once instead of using running water or washing one apple at a time.

Dishes: I shock myself when I leave the water running but put the plug in. The sink fills up unbelievably quickly. Really, you only need an inch or two of water to wash a whole stack of dishes, a bit more for rinsing. This is probably one of my worst consumption habits. I make excuses when my roommates have their dishes in the sink "There's too much stuff to move." SUCK IT UP! MOVE THEIR DISHES OR WASH THEM TOO. I'm working on this one....

These are the two hardest but simplest for me at the moment. They're very easy to make excuses about. But I think it just starts with awareness. And writing it down as an intention helps. So here it is:

I will aim to wash vegetables in a container in bulk when I buy them, not individually at time of use.
I will try not to wash dishes with running water, but with a filled sink.