More Thoughts on 10 ways to live intentionally

This is such a great list - I just want to reflect on each item and how it might apply.

1) Live with others from your church community

We're living with extended family now (my in-laws). One thing I've noticed is that some of the household tasks are so much easier when shared -- shopping, cooking, cleaning. One night I'll take the lead on dinner, another night my mother-in-law will. We moved here to help support our aging parents, but at least so far, it's been a pretty even sharing.

The point it -- it's a lot of work to maintain the suburban home, and not that much more work if a few more people are sharing the living space.

2) Work Less!

This is definitely a goal of mine. My paying job (a business that I co-own) requires 15 to 20 hours per week currently, but I'd love to make it 10. Working from home and having somewhat flexible hours also helps free up time for family and other relationships.

3) Throw out the television

Well, there would be a great deal of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth in our house! We try to limit the kids to videos and the occasional PBS cartoon. I did notice that our morning routine goes much smoother since we started enforcing the no-TV-before-school rule. But TV's advertising and all the stuff portrayed in the lives we see on TV and movies feed our hunger for consumption-- and train the kids to want more and more.

4) Drive less

This is one of my favorite things about our new place -- small suburb of a small city. Everything is close (unless it's Target, which is 45 miles away). Doe walks to school. Ray's preschool is a mile and a half, instead of the six or seven we were driving before. Gas costs more here, but it's more than offset by driving less. And you do notice things in the neighborhood when you walk it every day.

5) Have a garden / grow food

On the list -- perhaps we might even manage it this spring, depending on how the remodel goes. In the meanwhile, I'm buying as much as possible at farmers markets and local farm stands. If I can't grow it myself, at least I'd like to know where it's coming from.

6) Get to know your neighbors / listen for their needs

This is happening, slowly but surely. One of our fellow walkers in the morning lives three doors down, in a house occupied for many years by my in-laws' best friends. She stopped me one morning to introduce herself as the resident of the Smith's house. This is the one I need to really focus on, or another week will go by before I introduce myself to the family next door!

7) Be outside as much as possible.

I have no excuse -- it's Southern California, there's the park down the street and the open space/reserve across the street, not to mention the beach, mountains, etc. We do spend a lot of time at the park -- the kids will often want to stop on the way home from school or have some play time on weekends. I'm trying to reestablish my bird walks ... The fog was playing around the eucalyptus grove this morning, but the head cold I've been nursing said not today.

8) Do not fence in your yard

Our fences are in sad shape, does that count? This one is hard when you're in an area where everyone has fences. I think there may be other ways to demonstrate that your home is open to the people around you.

9) Take a stand against the greed of mega-corporations

I try. It's easy to avoid the fast food chains, but is The Coffee Bean really a better choice than Starbucks? From my experience Starbucks at least treats its employees pretty well.

10) Utilize and support non-commercial public spaces (parks, libraries, colleges, etc.)

We had a library card within 48 hours of moving in. Unfortunately, I don't tend to find the books I'm reading about online in their catalog. Maybe I can find a way to finesse a card from the University. On the other hand, there's also a great ballroom dance program through the parks & rec department.

All that to say, I should print the list and tape it next to my monitor!