Day 18, 19 and 20 - last post before I take off for a week

I can honestly say that I will miss writing these daily posts. Blogging is something that has given a sense of order to my normally all-over-the-place life, and really making one green change per day and then writing about it not only makes the process gradual, but cements the change in my head to make it for permanent.

Although, today, I had a slip up. I was at Starbucks getting coffee for my girlfriend, and, though I don't normally order one for myself, I had a "what the hell" moment and ordered one. It wasn't until the barista handed me the drink that I had the uh oh moment of realizing that I forgot my thermos and has just broken one of my green rules. Damn. And I had been doing so well.

What do you do when you mess up? Just get back on the horse, so to speak? Renew your pledge to do better in the future? Mentally berate yourself for being thoughtless? I feel pretty guilty.

I can't believe I'm 20 days (so to speak) into this challenge. It hasn't been hard, and I've enjoyed exploring the new stores and products that are becoming part of my life. Looking at the list I've written, though, I can see that there are tough times ahead. And Vanessa is right - keeping track of all of these green changes is stressful! I'm tempted to print off my list and keep it with me to reference throughout the day.

So! As I am leaving town today, an appropriate change is to pack light. Lighter than I usually do when traveling my motorcycle even. My parents can attest, and the men in my life as well, that when I pack, I tend to bring everything but the kitchen sink. Not clothes or toiletries, mind you, but books and things to do. Almost two years ago, my boyfriend and I went on a 24 day cruise. I packed so much STUFF for that trip that not only did I not get to do everything I'd planned, but we paid oodles of money there and back for my overweight luggage.

I guess I've always had this fear of boredom. Throughout my life, I've always been a very busy person, what with school, activities, crafts, projects, etc, that I've never actually been bored, and yet I have this irrational fear of it. So I over pack.

When I bought my motorcycle, I had to start paring down, because quite literally, there was no room to take everything that I usually would take on a trip. In case you are wondering, I ride a Road King Classic. You can see from the photo that the bike comes with two saddle bags. To that, I've added a trunk and a pillion bag (which I leave empty, so that I have room to go shopping on my trips). Even still, that doesn't leave much room for stuff, and I have, on one occasion, had to cart my stuff to the post office and ship it home because I'd exceeded the capacity of my bike.

But I digress. This trip, we are packing uber light. I'm removing all unnecessary packaging from toiletries, packing minimal clothing, and I'm aiming to fit all my stuff in one small duffel bag. Here goes nothing. :-)

Another change I'm making is no longer using paper towels or hand dryers in public restrooms. Chances are, I'll be hitting up a few of those in the coming days, and really, how bad are damp hands? They dry soon enough.

And before I hit the road tonight, I'll be shutting down my computer. After I return, I'll be shutting down my computer every night before I go to bed. Even though my computer is quiet, when it is off, the silence is truly remarkable. I like silence.

So here I go! Off to the Niagara region for some wine appreciation, and then down to the lovely state of PA to get some fabric and meet some penguins. Yay for penguins!