Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic 2011 Toronto - Don't Let Us Get Sick (Warre...

Don't Let Us Get Sick

I know this is a Warren Zevon song, but Jackson sings it now, and he sang it the night I saw him in Wisconsin.  Warren was a "harder version" of Jackson, with a really dark sense of humor, which portrays the kind of irony that I enjoy. I believe Bruce Springsteen referred to them as Cain and Abel, and I see that as a really good analogy.

Don't let us get sick
Don't let us get old
Don't let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight

I heard this song last night as I was reading "Do One Green Thing Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices".  My mind wandered from "saving yourself from the bottled water habit"; if every American stopped buying water in disposable bottles Americans would save 54 million barrels of oil, used during the plastic making process, pumping, processing and transporting and refrigerating the bottles, which is the same amount used running 3 million cars for a year.

As staggering of a thought as that is, the ability to make something like this, would evaporate:

Yes!  It's a bed made out of plastic bottles, contained in a house made out of plastic bottles!  Now that is recycling.

Ok back to where my head was at last night.  The lines "just make us be brave, and let us play nice" brought up quite a bit to think about.  Why would one have to be brave to play nice?  Why is it so hard for adults to play nice?

Preschool children overall are naturally accepting and kind people.  Their developmental stages of life, may cause them to impulsively have actions that appear to adults to be "not playing nice", but usually those are just that , impulsive, their brains are not developed enough to know that grabbing a toy, pushing another child, etc. is not playing nice.  Two seconds later, the children who just finished what appeared to be a battle over a toy, are best friends, holding hands, hugging each other, etc.  Their actions are not purposeful, they do not plan harm to another individual, and they don't watch to see how the other children in their class, relate to another child, to decide how they are going to behave.  They are too egocentric to need another person to tell them who to want to play with!

It's only when the outside world intervenes, and "helps" them see who they are "supposed" to play with, who they are "supposed" to ignore, and who is "different", and they should back off, and stay away.  Children are naturally, instinctively nice to those who are nice to them, and respectful to those who respect them. 

That brings me to something I have been spending a lot of time thinking about lately.  Why are adults, who should know better, not as kind and understanding as children? It seems to me that it is often difficult for adults to make up their own minds regarding certain issues.  In fact, not only will some adults have difficulty making up their own minds, they will blindly accept another person's version of an incident, or impression of another person without even doing their own research, and either going to the source for information and making their own decision, and if they already have their own opinion, stating their thoughts on the matter.  Why are adults so afraid?  Is it the social implications of making an unpopular choice?  Is it the fear of their status in a particular community?  How do people sleep well at night letting others make their decisions for them, who to like, who not to like, who to invite, who not to invite.  Some situations where individuals allow others to make their decisions, while allowing them to maintain a certain comfort in social situations, could possibly be causing a person outside of their social circle a hardship, to experience anxiety, pain, confusion, social isolation, etc. and more.  Is being comfortable with one's place in the social hierarchy worth causing other's pain?

I bet everyone out there sees the above paragraph to be an accurate picture of middle school and high school, which in itself is a huge problem, which schools and parents must address.  However, I am talking about full fledged grown ups, parents raising children, who will end up do what they see their parent's doing.  Unless one of these adults has a child who mistakenly becomes a target, none of these adults will be able to see the error of their ways, and how their inability to think for themselves, and stand up for others and treat everyone with the respect that they deserve, might really being hurting someone, who may not be someone in their "circle" but none the less a person.

I go to sleep every night hoping that I have "played nice", and when I haven't, the words that I may have said, the thought that I may have conveyed, run through my brain, and I am ashamed.  To look for the good in everyone, to try to see the place where they are, and where they came from is what every person deserves.  Only then can two adults have a conversation which allows problems to be solved, and people to move forward in a dignified manner.  Everyone is insecure, at least to some extent, to use one's insecurities to hurt someone else, is not a behavior we want children to observe.

Jackson Browne states his opinions, his values, and what he believe's in, without feeling ashamed.  When is music took a political turn, and people began to wish he would return to more personal lyric, he borrowed a few words from Little Steven and said, "there is nothing more personal that one's politics".  The point being, standing up for what someone believes to be correct, that means what they themselves believe, not what they are told to believe is a noble trait.

That said, Jackson has been promoting Earth friendly practices for years, it's only now that I am taking a serious look at doing the same,  when I met him, he still was still nice and respectful, without first asking me if I drank bottled water!  That type of comfort with his own ideals is what made me want to take a second look at how I treat the environment.  He is believes in the power of attraction, not the power if promotion.

If I can promote anything, I hope it is that adults should treat all people with respect, try to understand when they are coming from, and make our choices based on reality, not someone else's perception!

Today I ordered dog chewies in bulk, to be delivered in a box, which can be recycled!  Tomorrow, I am really, really going to make plarn.  I have to, my husband brought the groceries home in plastic bags!  I am also going to try to make a basket out of magazines!

Jackson Browne - Walking Slow

Walking Slow

Well it's now Friday, and frankly my hair is beginning to resemble straw!  I decided that since Jackson says he uses bar shampoo and it's awesome, maybe I have the wrong brand, and I should try something else.  If I don't I am afraid it will crack off strand by strand, and then the only use for it will be to feed a horse, or put it on the playground with the mulch!  I mean, come on, Jackson has awesome hair, and it is certainly not cracking off and falling on his piano while he plays!

So, I broke down this evening and purchased some fancy hand made bar shampoo on Etsy, not made of hemp, so although I might not relax me, or cure nausea, hopefully my hair will once again consider being soft and less rigid!

I decided to leave the car behind this morning and walk to work.  Lower my carbon footprint, and get some exercise.  I washed my hands with my refillable automatic soap dispenser,  loaded up my Waste-Less bag, filled up my Eco- Friendly cup with my morning Pepsi, and walked on down to work....(now a little confession, if it is a half mile, that is a stretch).

Walking slow down the avenue
Through my old neighborhood
Don't know why I'm happy
I've got no reason to feel this good
Maybe it's because I'm all alone
And I've got no place to go
And everywhere I look I see
Another person I'll never know

Walking is a great opportunity for me to let thoughts run through my ever cluttered mind, without fear of causing an accident!  If I walk fast enough, and with enough energy and I rewrite any negative thoughts flying through my mind, to have a positive spin.  I love to watch people and their dogs on their morning walks.  We have a neighbor who takes him dog for a daily drag.  The dog is usually at least four feet behind him, and he has to pull on the leash to get the old dog who can still dig his heels (do dogs have heels) into the ground, and refuse to move.  If he were Jewish he would be taking his dog for a schlep.

Then there are the little bouncy dogs that wag and wiggle their way down the street, and it takes them about 16 steps of all four feet, to match one step of their owner.  My all time favorite is when I see someone walking a Great Dane, and a tiny little purse dog.  It's like they are bringing a snack in case the Great Dane gets hungry on the way!

I'll go on record as saying that out of my two dogs, one is so "debilitated" that to take him to the corner and back, takes an afternoon.  The other is very enthusiastic, and can dislocate my shoulder if he sights a squirrel, and I would need to carry 100 biodegradable plastic doggy waste bags because he insists on trying out every lawn in the neighborhood. 

This afternoon I read "The Green Book" which has many great ideas how to become more environmentally friendly.  There are lots of facts that show how simple it is to do one small thing, and make a large impact over time.  They make sense, even to me.  Cut just a couple of minutes off of your daily shower, unplug your cell phone charger, computer, etc when not in use.  use a razor with replaceable blades. I've been doing that with out even thinking that I was helping the environment.

As usual, I have found one suggestion I really can't wrap my brain around:

Skip a few toilet flushes, to save water!  Sorry, no thanks....at work considering the age of our clientele we must be saving a whole lot of water, because they sure skip a lot of flushes.  At my home, not going to happen!


I got a thing or two to say
Before I walk on by
I'm feeling good today
But if die a little farther along
I'm trusting everyone to carry on...

I am certain that even Jackson is not asking us to skip a few flushes!

Tomorrow my goal is to look for environmentally friendly toilet paper and paper towels, and find a place where I can purchase dog chewies that don't come in plastic.  I am sure there is a pet store that will sell them in bulk, and I could put them in my Waste-Less bag or my produce bags, although it would take all six of them to get enough chewies for Wrigley!

Jackson Browne - Farther On - Long Beach 2011

Farther On

There it is, ready to go, waiting for pick up!  My recycling....actually the truth is that is my recycling after the trash was picked up, and they left my goods!  Apparently, it can't just be put out by the trash, I apparently have to sign it up for pick up.....everyone else's on the block disappeared, everyone else's on Devonshire disappeared, but there sat mine, enjoying the day, next to the empty garbage can!!!!

I once again washed my hair with the lovely bar shampoo, while I could feel my other shampoo, in the plastic single use bottles, pointing at me, and talking behind my back.  I believe they called me a tree hugger, before they dissolved into giggles on the shower floor.  I wanted to step on them, but I am evolving, and change is difficult for everyone, even single use plastic bottles.

Look at my beautiful shopping bags that arrived today!  They are called WasteLess Bags, and they can be rolled up and secured with Velcro and be stored in my purse for any surprise shopping.  The only tiny issue with these beautiful bags, is that they arrived from Amazon each one was wrapped in plastic, and on top of that under the tightly wrapped non biodegradable plastic, each bag was tightly secured in a zip tie!  The zip tie, was so tightly secured that when I attempted to cut it off, one of the bags flew across the room and smacked the cat in the head.  This further infuriated said cat, who has just returned from a several day absence, probably due to the disappearance of her favorite wet food, which I can no longer buy due to it's plastic container....apparently doesn't like aluminum cans.

These are the exciting produce bags that I ordered.  They are rocking awesome, and I am excited to get to use them this week, when I purchase snack for work.  Now, they are a bit small, so it is a good thing that I have six of them, two trips to the store, six bags, should supply us with enough produce.

This journey to become a new me, to learn new habits is it seems two steps forward three steps backwards.  This is obvious to me, but may not to anyone else, as I have yet to mention that today I purchased dinner, which came in two plastic containers, housed in a plastic bag, and I forgot and got a drink which was in a single use plastic cup, with a straw.  Does it count if I had my travel cup with me?  Learning to live a different way, means having to relearn almost all of my daily patterns, which are on autopilot as I proceed thru my daily life.

In my early years I hid my tears
And passed my days alone
Adrift on an ocean of loneliness
My dreams like nets were thrown
To catch the love that I'd heard of
In books and films and songs
Now there's a world of illusion and fantasy
In the place where the real world belongs

Today was another day of self exploration, another day of seeing how hard it is to think about the next step in my life, how hard it is for me to stay calm in the process, and how hard it is to not be in control of my destiny!  I chose the song Farther On because currently I am personally struggling with saying good bye to a part of my life, and hello to the new.  I guess I was living in the "world of illusion and fantasy, In the place where the real world belongs".  So, it's time for me to see more clearly the real world which is my life, because the illusion and fantasy will not pay the bills!


I do believe if I continue to become a better person, a person who is still growing, learning, and changing, then good things will happen, and doors will open for me and my future will be shown to me.


So, tomorrow I will call the garbage people and see how I get my recycled stuff to be picked up, not left by the road side, I will try to avoid plastic bags, however, if I continue to accidently collect them, I will learn how to make one of these:

It is made with PLARN!  How does one make plarn?  I bet you can guess......

Jackson Browne - The Naked Ride Home