I am a huge fan of anything organic, natural, botanical... Just the very words make me feel healthier and rejuvenated.
But then I look at the bottles of lotion on the bathroom counter, the little square containers of eye shadow, the jar of Miracle Whip in the fridge... and suddenly feel bogged down by a life where you can't just buy anything--food, cleaners, or otherwise--without getting those bad-for-you chemicals that pack along with them.
"Going natural" means carving out a whole new life for yourself. It means slowly getting rid of the normal, and branching out as we haven't in some 8 decades. To me, it's fun to slowly start seeing items on our shelves changing from packaged and processed, to fresh, dried, or canned from our own garden. I like to see my cosmetic products having ingredient lists short enough that I don't need glasses to read, and using words I understand, like "chamomile"..."aloe"... and "pomegranate." I like seeing our water bottles made out of glass instead of plastic. I like scooping out loose-leaf, organic tea into tea balls, rather than plucking out a pre-packaged bag from a box of Lipton. Seeing herbal names like Green, Bilberry, Mullein, Peppermint, Chamomile... Not something like Vanilla Chai, Raspberry Splash, Very Berry Blueberry, or something ultra-enticing in case we're not bought by the thing as it originally was. And I like to scrape my honey out of a jar, instead of drizzling it from a bottle shaped like a teddy bear.
I like that we don't use fabric softeners (dryer sheets) anymore, but hang our clothes on the line as much as possible, or use dryer balls to do the job. I like that I haven't touched a harmful chemical when cleaning our house in more months than I can keep track of, since we've discovered the power of baking soda.
I feel as if we've happened on a new way of life. A secret way that seems hidden unless you're really looking for it. A handful of years ago, I wanted to reduce the amount of my chemical intake, but I thought "natural people" smelled... well to be honest... "weird." =) Potent patchouli was not my idea of an ideal perfume. I wanted to be very critical in my "natural" choices.
What I didn't realize is how vast an array of natural products there are out there. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it's been a journey for my family as we step out from under the harmful rule of processed, chemicalized, genetically modified, tampered-with goods. We still have a long and fun road ahead as we try new things, test out the dependability of some things, and figure out what works, what doesn't, and what we may never switch from, no matter how bad it is for us. ;) I have learned so many things, and I would love to share the wealth with you, as the Lord seems leading.
So if you're interested at all in switching over a little bit, a lot, or full-blown, into natural living, then I would love to offer as many ideas, tips, how-to's, and references so you can get on your way to feeling healthy, and achieving a vitality most of us Americans don't know we could even have. Have a splendid and blessed day. And expect the next installment of our search for a more natural way of life soon!
