Recommending a Recommendation

Recently, I was looking for a certain type of store. I found one with good reviews on Yelp (a site for community reviews of local businesses), so I went to check it out, and sure enough, the people were friendly and they had a good selection. While talking to one of the guys there, I let him know how I found the store, and also that they were getting good reviews. I figured they’d like to know that people value their service and it makes a difference. He seemed appreciative and glad to know about Yelp, which he hadn’t heard of before.  So I guess I did Yelp a Good Turn too.  A good product or service deserves to be shared.

“Buying” Carbon Offsets

I’ve posted about carbon offset initiatives before, and there’s plenty of information on the Internet about them–how they work, the pros and cons, efficacy, and son on–so I’ll save that for now.  If you want to learn more, please start by checking out my previous post.

Earlier this year, after learning the harsh climate cost of air travel, I decided that from then on, I would “buy” offsets for any flights my wife and I take. I put “buy” in quotes because it’s not like you’re purchasing a product–it’s more like making a donation commensurate with the impact you wish you didn’t make.  And of course, it’s not a perfect solution, but it seems like it’s about the best I can do for now, and in my opinion it’s certainly better than nothing.

Anyway, this is all by way of explaining that I made a donation to offset the three tons of CO2 that resulted from our trip, last week, to visit my family in Michigan.  We don’t fly a huge amount, but I’ll continue to donate to offsets when we do.

Respect for Living Things

One of the central tenets of Buddhism is treating all living things with respect.  This principle was on my mind yesterday as I discovered a large spider had created a web between my wife’s car and a nearby fence.

I knew I had to do something, since my wife doesn’t care much for spiders, and I couldn’t just let her walk into the thing this morning.  It wouldn’t be fair to her, or the spider, really.  So I decided to try to move it, as gently as I could, to a new home.  I picked it up (with a stick, mind you) and moved it to a more appropriate place, away from the car.  In doing so, I felt more compassion for the spider than I expected.  It was a beautiful creature, really, and it was scared.  I wish I could have just let it be, but we have to live together (spiders and humans) and I’d like to think I treated it with respect.

Visiting Grandma

Our family was road tripping back home today (we spent a few days getting away from it all), and we decided to take the long way home so we could stop and visit my grandma (and some other family).  I don’t get to see her as often as I used to, so it was great to spend some time, however brief, catching up with her.  I know she enjoyed it too.  She’s getting older, but she still has a lot of spirit.  It’s inspiring.

Putting the Computer Away

Today I did something quite difficult for a “knowledge worker”:  Closed down my computer before reading all my email.  I’m spending time with my family, so I did a quick scan for anything urgent, and put off the rest for a more appropriate time.  It’s tough to pull yourself away, once you get started.

Absorbing Criticism

Today, my wife informed me I was complaining about something a little bit too much.  I caught myself just before I went on the defensive, since I know she wouldn’t say anything unless she considered it important.  Instead, I tried to just accept her criticism.

Exercise

This morning, I was planning to go for a run with my wife (and Pepper, our tireless dog).  When her alarm clock went off, however, I wasn’t too interested, so I told her to go without me while I snoozed a little more.  But as I lay there, listening to her quietly get ready, I thought to myself, “come on, man, don’t be lazy,” and just before she left I popped up out of bed and hurried to join her.  It was a beautiful morning for a run.  Together.

Expanding Horizons

I think it’s generally good for you, the people around you, and to some extent the world when you educate yourself.  Informed opinions are more likely to be reasoned, rational, and thoughtful.  Feel free to disagree with me, of course.

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to learn more about Buddhism, and I’m finally doing it.  The more I learn about it, the more I discover that there’s a lot that appeals to me about Buddhist philosophy, spirituality, and practice.  Tonight I stopped by our local bookstore and picked up a couple books on Buddhist history, writings, and meditation.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Recently, a neighbor asked about recommendations for roofers.  Having asked about the same thing myself a few months ago, I forwarded on to her all the info I received, and the recommendations people had given me.  It’s funny how much a personal recommendation can mean to you on something like this.

Lunch

We went to visit and have lunch with my wife’s sister, her husband, and their cute little baby daughter.  After lunch, we decided to pick up the check.  I can’t say why, exactly, but we just felt like doing it.  If they feel like repaying the debt, then, hey, we get to have lunch with them again!  It’s a win-win situation.