I am a certified tree hugger
My peeps chuckle at my passion, but that's part of what makes me me. Three years ago, I donated $10 to the Arbor Day Foundation and planted the "flowering tree" twigs they sent me in pots along the side of my driveway. Two years ago, I drove into town to pick up free oak twigs on my lunch break. Last summer's drought wasn't kind to these poor twigs, but today I have three short, skinny redbud dogwoods, a Washington Hawthorne, a Rose of Sharon, one oak tree, and a stray maple tree still growing. As developers cut down the beautiful trees in Loudoun County in the name of progress, I feel obliged to grow new ones to take their place. My 0.03 acre townhouse property is going to be the most wooded lot in town!
Today we had tornadoes pass through the area. With the wind came a downpour. I was hoping that the driving rain would clean my dirty dirty car, 
but six months of Virginia clay can be exceptionally tenacious. Today's brilliant idea came to me as I was driving home in this lovely rain. Instead of pulling fully into my garage, I left the car halfway in the driveway, which is under the deck on the back of my house. I got a bucket of hot soapy water, scrubbed my trusty little Honda down while staying reasonably dry myself, and drove back out into the rain to give it a good rinse. Total water used for my car wash: less than a gallon (plus 1/50th of a gallon of gas to move the car)! I received an additional reward - as I drove around the block rinsing off my car, I spied a double rainbow smiling down over the neighborhood, interspersed with magnificent streaks of lightening. Maybe that was Nature's "thank you" to me for helping the trees and the water supply =) Even if it wasn't I'll choose to interpret it that way!
My dear one called me as I was parked on the side of the road trying to capture the rainbows, the lightening, and the car all in one shot (2 of 3 ain't bad!). As I explained what I was doing, he laughed with me, re-certified me as crazy, and rang off to go find something fun of his own to do in his fifth hour without power.
I don't mind when people think I'm silly, crazy, goofy, or a dork for doing things that matter to me or simply make me smile. My new next door neighbors moved in on Friday - they may already think I'm a little strange, reinforced by washing my car in the rain. The thing is, it's my life, I'm not hurting anybody, and it brings me joy! Nothing else really matters here, does it?
Action Challenge: Do something in the next week that makes you happy, and DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT "PEOPLE" WILL THINK. Life is too short to let *them* decide how you're going to live your life, and where you'll find joy. Are you still living under the same fear of peer pressure and peer opinion that you were under in High School? Do you not sing out loud because someone once made fun of your singing voice? Do you avoid the dance floor because you *know* someone's going to poke fun at you? tsk tsk - go be you, and let them be them. Chances are, someone's going to admire you instead - for living your life joyfully! As a corollary, don't be *that girl* who makes fun of others for living joyfully because you're too scared to do it yourself.
As for me - I'm just a girl saving the planet one twig and one car wash at a time.
Cheers and all my best to you!
~Brooxi
“Dance for yourself, if someone understands - good!
If not, then no matter; go right on doing what you love.”
- Unknown
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