THOUGHTS ON SHOPPING

I have been reading a lot lately about how we Americans feel that what we think, say, or do doesn’t really make a difference. With the constant discouraging news regarding unemployment, the economy, and our 401Ks, it’s pretty easy to feel economically disempowered. However, we CAN make a difference by shopping with a conscience. I know people who studiously avoid buying products manufactured in certain countries because of human rights issues, others who avoid products made by manufacturers with poor environmental records, and the like. These are all things worthy of consideration when we decide what to spend our hard-earned money on.

...fact from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics: If just HALF of the EMPLOYED U.S. population spent $50 a month in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 BILLION in revenue.

Another very simple way to make your purchasing dollar count is to buy from local merchants.

When on vacation in California this summer, I learned about the 3/50 Project. When I visited the project website, I was shocked to learn that while chain and franchise retailers return only about 43% of their gross revenues to the community, independent stores return 68% of gross revenues to their localities. (Of course, if you buy on-line nothing goes back.) This makes sense when you think that a local store will be hiring local support such as accountants and lawyers, and will most likely be supporting other local businesses in terms of needed supplies or merchandise. While some big chains do make impressive contributions to worthy causes, local merchants are more likely to support community charities and events.

In addition to returning money to the community, the existence of smaller, locally owned shops ensures a diversity of products. I have nothing against Borders or Barnes and Noble; in fact, I spend a lot of time browsing in both of them. But I was taken aback by the plethora of titles and independent publishing houses that I discovered in small, independent bookstores in northern California, and this fall in Madison Wisconsin. These are bookstores that sell only books (no music, candy, or toys) and are thriving with local support. In Washington DC, Kramer Books and Busboys and Poets offer selections that I have not seen at the big book stores out here in the suburbs. It may be true that there is less variety WITHIN a smaller locally owned store, but AMONG smaller stores there is a wide range of choices.

Small, local stores also make for a more interesting community. Have you ever been to a mall, looked around at the stores, and realized that you could be in just about any city in the U.S. (or world, for that matter)?

The 3/50 project cites an interesting fact from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics: If just HALF of the EMPLOYED U.S. population spent $50 a month in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 BILLION in revenue. And since we know that local businesses return between 45% and 68% of their revenues to the local community, well, you do the math.

So please “think local” when preparing for your holiday shopping. If you are thinking about buying a necklace or a pair of earings for that special someone, seek out a local jewelry store. Buy your wine in a locally owned wine shop rather than the grocery store. Have your holiday business lunch at an independent restaurant instead of a chain. Search out small, independent toy stores, book shops, and the like. They are out there, it just takes a little hunting to find them. Some things may cost more, it’s true, but sometimes we pay a high price for those bargains.

For more information on the impact of shopping locally visit: the350project.net, and 2009ReclaimDemocracy.org. To help you find independent stores of all types, visit www.Indiebound.org.

UPDATE!

American Express has just announced a program called "Small Business Saturday," a promotion of independent retailers on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Google "Small Business Saturday American Express" to learn more and find out how you can benefit.  (Full discolure:  I do NOT accept American Express).  

ACUPUNCTURISTS WITHOUT BORDERS IN NEPAL
posted Oct. 16, 2009

As you are reading this I am in Nepal, traveling with the World Healing Exchange Program sponsored by Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB). We are traveling to Nepal to offer free acupuncture in clinics in Kathmandu and the surrounding countryside, and to exchange insight and information with healers from other traditions. What are our common challenges and rewards as healers? What are the threads that tie us together, even though our language and our tools may differ? These are the questions that we 15 American acupuncturists will explore. I expect to be as inspired by the people I will meet as I will be by the majestic Himalayan mountains.

AWB began in response to Hurricane Katrina. Acupuncturists from all over the country gathered in New Orleans to provide a very simple, yet effective, acupuncture protocol which uses five needles placed in the ear. These needles engage the parasympathetic nervous system (the antidote to ‘fight or flight’), and support the energies of the Lung, Liver, and Kidney to reduce anxiety and feelings of stress. Used for years in substance abuse settings, this protocol is now being employed in clinics of various types throughout the world.

AWB has expanded its mission and, in addition to continuing to offer disaster relief services, also has a comprehensive program supporting our veterans, active military personnel, and military family members. In addition, the organization is launching the World Healing Exchange Program with this fall’s trip to Nepal. You can learn more about AWB and its programs by visiting www.acuwithoutborders.org.

AWB has extended a very powerful reach with a nominal budget and effective volunteers. If you or a friend or family member have received benefit from acupuncture treatment, I would like to ask you to consider making a contribution to AWB. I know that a lot of organizations are asking for your charity dollar right now and that it is difficult to choose from among so many worthy causes.

Clinic supplies are always needed, despite the very generous support of acupuncture product suppliers. $3 will purchase two boxes of alcohol swabs, $4 buys a travel-sized biohazard container for used needles, and $10 is the cost of a box of needles. It doesn’t take much to make a difference. And since AWB is a 501 ( c ) 3 organization, your contribution is tax deductible (always double check with your lawyer!). You can contribute through my office (443 B Carlisle Drive, Herndon VA 20170) or through AWB Headquarters (37 Kelly Lynn Drive, Sandia Park NM 87047). Make your check payable to AWB and use the memo line to earmark your contribution. You will receive a receipt for your donation.

So thank you for taking a moment to read this and learn about AWB. I look forward to sharing my experiences in Nepal with you when I return in November!

DONE TOO SOON
posted Sept. 22, 2009

Minnesota is not supposed to be this hot, humid, and full of bugs - at least not in early June - I think as my husband and I trudge, err, hike, through one of the state’s picturesque parks. I am sweaty, Itchy, and ready to call it a morning.

As I grumble these thoughts to myself, I see what appears to be a narrow clearing in the woods. A few more steps and a parking lot comes into view. The woods are now behind me. Sounds from the adjacent highway, people chattering, and car radios have replaced the birdsong and tramp of my hiking boots along the dry and dusty trail.

But I don’t feel relieved – I feel somewhat bereft. Vaguely disappointed. A little cheated. “Wait a minute,“ I say to my husband, “I thought we had another half hour to go.“ If only I had known that we were so near the end of the trail, I would have refrained from complaining and spent those last minutes really being in the woods – critters, perspiration, and all – appreciating their beauty and acknowledging that I will probably never be back here again.

I start laughing at myself, serious practitioner of mindfulness, being brought up short by own inability to simply be in the present moment. I am reminded of all the other times when I let life pass me by while I was preoccupied with how I wanted it to be different.

But that day, as in life itself, there was no trail marker saying “only 15 minutes more – enjoy now!” It seems as though we are all taught this lesson again and again, the need to live in the here and now, if not loving life, at least paying attention to what it is offering to us at any particular moment in time. Culturally we are reminded of the preciousness of every minute as well, usually when a tragedy such as the Columbine shootings or the attacks of September 11 occurs.

That day in June reminded me yet again: We don’t really know when the trail will end, so we might as well enjoy the hike.

Without or Beyond?
posted August 19, 2009

Rather than designing the class around trying to replace traditional wheat products with gluten free ones, she offered us the opportunity to go beyond the familiar and to use “gluten free” as motivation to re-define how we cook and what we eat.

I recently attended an intensive four day gluten-free cooking class.* The teaching was fantastic, and I came away with a significant amount of cooking and nutrition information. I also found the class dynamic to be very provocative in terms of how people view and incorporate the need for change into their lives.

Our instructor enthusiastically explained that there was a whole world of cooking with grains and different types of rice for us to explore. Using ingredients from amaranth to teff we learned to make porridges, stews, pilafs, and sushi. Rather than designing the class around trying to replace traditional wheat products with gluten free ones, she offered us the opportunity to go beyond the familiar and to use “gluten free” as motivation to re-define how we cook and what we eat.

While some in the class embraced this approach, others wanted to learn how to make a wheat free muffin that tastes like a muffin made with wheat. We like what we like, and want to be able to recreate it, regardless of changing circumstances. Those of you reading this who are gluten sensitive know how difficult (dare I say impossible) it is to find a gluten free sandwich bread that actually tastes good and doesn’t cost a week’s paycheck. Those of you who are able to eat wheat will just have to take my word for it.

The class members who were able to ride along with the ‘life beyond gluten” philosophy enjoyed the class. They left with a renewed sense of discovery and creativity. Those that maintained the “life without gluten” point of view ended the session feeling frustrated and somewhat bereft.

Obviously, the lesson goes beyond gluten. We all have our “gluten free” challenge in life, where we dig in our heels and expend an extraordinary amount of energy trying to recreate a situation or lifestyle that is no longer sustainable. Perhaps it is trying to provide a traditional Christmas holiday following a death or divorce. Maybe it is trying to engage in our habitual physical activities after a surgery or in the presence of a chronic illness. The aging process challenges most of us in this way as we cling to who we were in the presence of who we are becoming. We need to give ourselves permission and encouragement to go “beyond” what life has presented us so that our focus becomes one of renewal rather than resignation, creativity instead of frustration.

While I am grateful to my cooking teacher for her words of wisdom for the kitchen, I am just as thankful to my classmates for providing me the opportunity to reflect on places in my own life where I am living “without.”

*For those of you may not be familiar with this issue, gluten is a protein found in wheat and certain other grains. Many people are discovering that they are sensitive or allergic to this protein, which is what gives baked goods their light and airy texture. In addition to breads and pastries, gluten is a “hidden” ingredient in many other foods. Avoiding gluten can be a time consuming, exasperating experience.

To Do, To Be
posted July 7, 2009

Recently, I enjoyed a four day retreat, filled with yoga, meditation, and long walks. While I was waiting to check out of my room, I took out a notebook and pen, and began to compose my “to do” list—all of the tasks that my day-to-day “real” life would require of me when I returned home—banking, shopping, getting the tires rotated, calling the dentist.

As the list grew, my spirit sunk. I then began to laugh at myself. I had just spent several days remembering the value in simply “being,” and here I was gearing up for “doing” mode! And I hadn’t even left the retreat center!

As I contemplated this, I came to the fairly simple conclusion that I can choose how “to be” in the presence of anything that I decide or feel that I need “to do.” So in addition to a daily “to do” list, I now have a daily “to be” list—usually just a single item, sometimes two or three. As I sit with my agenda of errands, phone calls, and other tasks, I also spend a moment thinking of how I want to approach the day, with what quality I want to infuse those errands, phone calls, and other tasks. For a day that might involve a lot of waiting in lines, my “to be” list might include “patient.” If I am trying something new it might include “adventurous” and “joyful.” The idea is that I get to choose, every day, how I want to be - creative, kind, joyful, thankful, inspired, loving, gracious..., the list goes on and on. Spending a moment to think about how “to be” has become as integral a part of my day as accomplishing the “to dos.” And adding this practice is encouraging me to have less resentment and frustration around all of the “doings” which can often feel so trivial and time consuming.

Many years ago—more than I care to think about—I heard Ram Dass speak at a workshop, where he reminded the group that “We are human beings, not human doings.” What a powerful and empowering idea! And one that is so easy, at least for me, to forget.