Day 4 – Marco Wholeo

So I got my salad for lunch, but it was not as satisfying or fresh feeling as I had hoped. I swung by Trader Joe’s on my way home to grab some things to make my own. When I got back to my car I put the bag full of freshness in on the passenger side and walked around the back of the car to get in the driver’s seat.

Behind my back rear tire was a fast food cup set there intentionally. It was from the car on my driver’s side. I noticed when I got out of my car to go in, the two large sonic cups sitting in their cup holders. They were in the car now. Sitting there. I stopped for a moment because ultimately had I backed up over the styrofoam cup filled with ice and drink, no harm would come to my car, but what bothered me more was how much effort he put into putting it there.

It’s one thing just to liter and to leave a cup in the middle of a parking lot, but to intentionally go out of your way and place it in a spot that could effect someone else was gross. I thought”what a loser.” Tempted to knock on the window and ask why he felt that necessary, but refrained as I know I would have been met with an empty stare from a selfish egg of a person.

It got me thinking on my 3 minute drive home how people are inspired to do little things like that, just little small, relatively insignificant acts. It’s like people littering their gloves and mask in the parking lots. I don’t understand how it’s so easy for people to do things that are bad for the collective.

Cutting in line, leaving the water on when you brush your teeth, buying all of the toilet paper – these are not acts of community, these are not wholesome acts. These are personal and selfish acts.

I get that not everyone thinks about the whole the entire time. I certainly don’t, however I do try to make sure that I don’t make things worse for anyone else, or cause more work or harm. If you’re in a parking lot and see a shopping cart fly wildly at a car parked two spots down, do you try to intercept the cart or do you just watch to see what happens thinking tough shit to that car owner who just got them self a complimentary ding?

I wonder what you would do?

It’s not something that needs to be shamed necessarily. It’s more like a “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” moment if you chose to be a bystander. Maybe this is part of the make up of humans and how we are all different. It’s frustrating and I think people often feel this frustration because we don’t even seem to have a solid foundation of community well being and togetherness.

That in itself can be lonely and isolating. Humans are naturally herd creatures, yet within the herd we are all on our own. I think that’s why so many people struggle with purpose, meaning and connection. Society feels like a herd running the plains and some of us are running like wtf, this is not what I signed up for. Where is the watering hole and a shady spot where I can think about the meaning of life?

Because that would definitely be me. I mean, that’s me now, just not physically running, only mentally.

Anyway when I got home, I quickly turned off that though pattern and turned to prepping. The only way I succeed at this challenge is by being prepared for it. So when got home I cooked dinner, took a shower, started the blog and then went to prepare my food for tomorrow. I made a beautiful salad and have some snacks on hand.

This has been the key to success so far, preparedness. I didn’t have coffee on hand at work and went to Starbucks today and ordered a coconut milk iced latte. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I thought to myself, I bet there’s sugar in the coconut milk. After googling it, there was.

I drank it anyway. I had a headache which was part caffeine withdrawal part work was awful and decided it was ok to have that drink. I felt so much better after and bought some compliant nut creamer later.

Work has been a struggle but taking the food aspect out of it has had me feeling more in control. I hope this is lasting effect of the challenge. Overpowering your impulses with good-for-you-long- term decisions surely sends some of those good endorphins to your head. And we can all use more of that.