Sustainable Tarpon Springs - The Story of Stuff

Last year about this time, I mentioned the struggle I have with my ‘inner Grinch’.  As we’ve been wisely told, ‘All that glitters is not gold’, and this adage certainly applies to the way we celebrate the final fiscal quarter in America.  I remember all the magic from my childhood holidays, and I somehow want to reclaim it.  At the same time, I am all too aware that true celebration has nothing to do with mass consumption.  Fighting that trend is truly akin to swimming upstream in a rushing river.

So, I do my best to focus on all the cheery aspects I love about this time of the year...the smells, the bells, the nostalgic feelings I have when we watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the hundredth time.  I’m even a sucker for all the warm-fuzzy Christmas music I hear again and again while working in a retail environment.  All the while, I am doing my best to detach from the pressure to buy junk other people don’t need and won’t use.  

It is an art choosing the right tokens of love and affection without being manipulated by the ‘point of purchase’ displays.  If I’m confused by the stuff I’m being ‘begged to buy’, I step back and remember the essence of the celebration.  It is first and foremost about Love, about ‘caring and sharing’.  It is never about keeping up with anyone else, or ‘giving’ out of guilt (to those who are not in need.)

The way retailing has become so weighted on successful fourth quarter sales is ridiculous when you consider that this frenzy all originated as a spiritual holiday.  I marvel at how little connection Black Friday, Cyber-Monday, and ongoing December Holiday Sales have to do with anything spiritual!  We certainly can reclaim our experience if we deliberately slow down and take time to talk to our friends and family about how we consciously choose to celebrate this season.

Watching the Story of Stuff is a great start!   Annie Leonard started her project in December, 2007, and the backlash she experienced from simply questioning the status quo ranged from being called anti-American to being a Communist to actually receiving death threats.  All she expressed was the need to reevaluate the direction we are headed, and pay attention to what we actually need in order to be happy.  She questioned the value of ‘growth’ if it fails to be safer, healthier, and more fair for everyone.

After six years (and many more short documentaries on the internet - on cosmetics, electronics, and bottled water), Annie Leonard has created a sustainability movement that simply calls us to examine the economic game and choose whether or not we want to play.  She calls us to be more conscious about how the system works, and in doing so, participate with more choice for our future destination.  

I’d highly recommend watching and sharing some of these amazing, wise little videos with your friends and family as you liberate yourself from the sophisticated programming we’ve all received.  http://storyofstuff.org/movies 

‘Stuff’ definitely doesn’t have to be the ‘center of our celebration’ if we don’t permit it to be emphasized.  We can choose to give experiences - yoga classes, a massage, a concert.  We can make gift certificates for our own services - a bicycle tune-up, a dinner, photography, anything we do well that others enjoy.   The possibilities for giving something of ourselves is endless.  Of course, if you have time and desire to truly give in a meaningful way, there are  numerous charitable organizations that appreciate and need assistance at this time of the year.

If we must shop, it is much more fun to seek out local treasures, of which Tarpon Avenue is rich!  I will be shopping at the Mad Hatter and Zante’s this week, and poking around Tarapani’s for little art pieces.  Not buying into the ‘cookie-cutter, corporate-crap‘ (pardon me) is joyful liberation. 

This is such a beautiful time of year if we celebrate it with our hearts more than our wallets!  How much ‘stuff’ do any of us really need?  It is far richer to rediscover the beauty of simple holiday pleasures.  We look forward to gathering and taking a walk to Light Up the Bayou on Christmas Eve.  Maybe we’ll see you there!