Awesome Stories 347

/ December 9, 2017

This week Awesome Stories brings you garbage, cleaning, and genuine voices.

Garbage to Garden Goodness

I love the story of how Garbage to Garden got started. Tyler Frank was in college and noticed how much of the trash was organic matter and wondered why you couldn’t put that at the curb like trash and recycling. He started talking to friends and neighbors and soon had enough interest to start the service. And I love their model of swapping clean buckets for people each week so the mess and smells don’t accumulate. Today, GTG is the most successful composting service in the Northeast serving 5000 homes in Portland ME. The food scraps are used to make organic compost and biofuels with local companies. I love this model of sustainability in turning waste into compost to literally feed the soil to grow new food.

Conscious Cleaning

Being a neat nut, this article is close to my heart. Somehow, I inherited neatness and organization from my mother. In fact, I was so good at organizing, that I ended up being the person who packed our car for family vacations. Like the author Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, I enjoy cleaning and find it a good way to ground myself and refresh my energy, space, and attitude. I feel good when my space is neat and clean. I’m inspired to make cleaning a spiritual practice like Llewellyn. She talks about Sufi’s being called “sweepers” for their work to clean the energetic debris of others. For her, the art of cleaning is part of holistic spiritual practice where we live mindfully of our impact on others and the planet. I agree with her perspective on simplicity where we have only what we need and can care for. May we live mindfully with simplicity and love.

The Genuine Voice

 We want to feel thoroughly and completely understood so we can take the guard down and be completely vulnerable, exposed, and absolutely secure. ~ Howard Thurman

I wish I had heard this commencement speech by Howard Thurman when I was graduating from college! And I love the ending about when we find that quiet voice, and the other person does too, then we find the unity and compassion in each other. I’ve been looking for that quiet genuine inner voice for a long time. Only occasionally do I really hear it, and feel truly comfortable in my skin being naked and vulnerable. But I’m much closer now than ever, as I offer myself more compassion, listening, and acceptance regardless of my foibles and failures. Kudos Brad.

May we listen for the “sound of the genuine” finding the oneness in each other. 

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34 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 347”

  2. We have Large brown bins here which we pay a yearly fee to have collected, they are as large as our regular bins.. We have three bins, One for household wastes, One for garden waist in which you can put your veggie peelings in, ( no food waste though ) and then one for plastic and paper.. We take bottled glass to the bottle banks..
    But we have our own compost bins, so much of our waste goes in there.. A great idea ..
    I have yet to click on the other links … But I agree, I enjoy a good spot of cleaning.. It helps relieve stress, 🙂 as you scrub away the debris of outer and inner clutter.. 🙂

    Have a perfect weekend Brad.. Take care.. and I enjoyed all your Stories.. The Speech must have been impressive, I will be back.. It sounds well worth a listen.. 🙂

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  10. Oh, I wish I could enjoy cleaning!! My hubby was the organizer in the family…and the master packer. So now I have to make myself to do it…I am far too comfortable with a little chaos 😀

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  11. I’m trying to find inner peace and satisfaction from fulfilling my househusbandly duties… but I’m just not quite there yet. I’m hoping with enough practice, it’ll come to me;)

    In the meantime, its not surprising at all that you add “neat nut” to the list of mindful activities that sweeps you above the daily clutter and chaos of life.

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  12. Turning garbage into biofuels does seem very interesting, just like the “back to the future” movie. It is amazing how just a couple of conversations and some motivated people can turn a problem into a solution. This is the permaculture solution; “the problem is the solution”. Thank you for the post. Merry Christmas. Lee.

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  13. There’s something about cleaning I’ve always loved and you can guarantee I’ll be doing a lot of it in our new home this weekend… it is a cleansing and putting our own energy into a space. Your inner voice isn’t normally human… and recognizable… it’s more of a sensing and I sense yours a lot… because you allow it to act through you in kind and compassionate ways. Much love, barbara x

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