The Reality of Going Green – Failure and Patience

I had planned that my next post for you all would be a tutorial for making your own natural toothpaste. I’d give you the ingredients, explain the many benefits, and leave you with the encouragement to take the natural route and be more aware of what products you’re consuming. I even wrote out the majority of the post and had it ready so I could insert the magical ingredients that would give you this awesome toothpaste.

That draft is, as you may have guessed, still a draft. No ingredients listed.

I thought I had the perfect recipe. I mixed it together, personalized it with essential oils, and it smelled great. I got it to a paste, stuck it on a toothbrush, and put it in my mouth. I gagged immediately. It was disgusting!

The texture was wrong, the flavors were weird, and I did not want that paste anywhere near me.

I was totally bummed. I tried putting it in different temperatures, I tried different amounts of each ingredient, I even took out ingredients and added others. Nothing seemed to give me a toothpaste I was happy with.

I was frustrated, until I realized that this is exactly what this blog is about, really. It’s easing into green living. It’s knowing that being entirely environmentally conscious all at once is unrealistic, and so is perfection. It’s a slow process that requires patience. I failed and that’s okay, as long as I keep trying.

So, instead of giving you a recipe for toothpaste that I find horribly gross just to get a post out there, I decided to discuss the importance of persistence in your journey to becoming greener.

We have a responsibility to respect, appreciate, and protect this planet. Many of you reading this blog have the resources and privilege to be able to make these lifestyle changes and help the world. Our environment is being destroyed, and that’s a heavy weight on our shoulders. Think about it too much, and it becomes overwhelming. Ignore it, and you’re supporting an unsustainable system that’s destroying our only home. You have to find a balance between caring and taking it easy. You can’t take on too much at once and expect everything to work out the way you plan, or you will get burnt out at the first few mistakes. The key to environmentalism is sincere effort. You might have killed your plants, or used those paper towels, or left all of your lights on when you left for the day. However big or small the mistake may be, you just have to learn from it and keep going.

You’re one person. You can’t do it all; but you can do your best. Try what you can and celebrate the fact that you’re on the journey to better appreciating the Earth. You’re doing a wonderful, noble thing. Most corporations and even our government won’t bother with these “unreasonable” actions. But you won’t let it fall by the wayside. Even if it takes awhile to get the hang of it.

I’m going to keep trying to make this toothpaste. I’ll go back to the drawing board, do some more research, and try until I’m happy with what I’ve come up with. Would it have been nice for it to have worked out the first time? Yeah. But I care enough about myself, humanity, and the planet to keep trying. As soon as I figure it out, I’ll edit and finally post that draft.

Stay determined, my friends. Have passion, but take it easy on yourself. You’re not perfect, but you can do wonderful things. Changing from the norm to a green lifestyle isn’t easy, but it will be worth it for all of us.

Have you ever tried to do something DIY or eco-friendly and failed? How did you handle it? Let me know in the comments! Feel free to mention anything you’d like me to try out!