As weird as that question may sound, please bear with me for a minute or two…
I noticed the other day that the flusher lever on one of our toilets was getting loose. As I looked a little closer, I could see that the plastic housing behind the handle was cracking. This seemed normal to me as this one was at least 5 or 6 or maybe even more years old. It was just wearing with time. So before it broke altogether, I knew I was going to have to make a trip to the hardware store to get a replacement.
That evening, my wife and I were watching the news, and there was more live video of the oil gushing out of the damaged BOP at the bottom of the Gulf. I had read the news since this disaster began back in April and had seen many of the videos from the beginning of their being broadcast. But for some reason, watching it this time around was starting to make me feel sick in my gut. This man-made disaster was starting to get to me…
As a side note, I had recently finished a song called “Forgotten Land”. There’s a part in the song that says, “Look what we’ve done to you”. Watching the live video from BP, I began to recite that lyric line, in my own mind, over and over……
So the next day, I went to the hardware store to pick up the replacement lever. Looking at all of the choices, I noticed there were the $3 to $5 levers that are made entirely of plastic, and then there were the $8 to $15 levers that are made of brass. That cracked lever at our house was one of the all plastic ones. I bought it years ago, going on the cheap, spending around $3. But something was different this time…
I thought of the oil spill…
I heard in my mind, once again, “Look what we’ve done to you”…
And I decided to buy one of the brass levers…
Now, in the world of black and white, right brained thinking, did my purchase make any difference on this planet? Did I “save” the planet by making a consumer choice to NOT buy an item derived from oil?
Probably not.
But – and this is important – I feel that it stirred something inside of me… It stirred me to think a little more… To awaken a little more… To come to know that I have a responsibility for being a steward of this planet… For taking care of it…
Because it takes care of me. And my family. Every day.
I believe that the Iraq War was a wake up call for the US to break its dependence on foreign oil. And now the BP disaster is another wake up call, this time to break our dependence on oil… period.
Yeah, we drive a lot of miles in our cars. And many of them aren’t near as fuel efficient as they could be and should be. But what about all the OTHER plastic stuff that we consume EVERY DAY just because it’s cheap?
From the outside, my toilet flusher lever purchase in all likelihood didn’t make one bit of difference. But on the inside, it shifted my thinking. I have vowed that the next time I go in to any store to purchase something, I will take an extra 5 seconds to THINK about what I am buying, and the impact that it will have on this planet, this place I call home.
So if you haven’t yet cast me aside as some crazed, out of touch with reality, tree hugger, won’t you consider doing the same?
Just take an extra 5 seconds… and THINK.
Blessings to you and yours, and thank you for doing your part. Together, we can do this. It’s our job.
Todd
PS – My good friend Mr. Twenty Twenty wrote an article that outlines his unique approach to caring for the environment. Please read it; it may stir the creative juices in you!