LBaish03

In the great spirit of not missing out, I've decided to see the Dalai Lama when he visits Sydney June 15. 

Something you should know about me, before I continue on with this story, is that I spent almost two years interning for the Illinois House Republican Organisation back in the states.  I imagine some of you are sending pointy dagger eyes to me via internet right now.

When I told my Democrat boyfriend about my intended visit to his Holiness, he responded with, "Honey," (he often calls me honey when he's about to be condescending) "you are turning into a bleeding heart liberal every day," (keep in mind "liberal" in the US means left-wing). "Republicans," he went on, "have no business with the Dalai Lama other than to exploit him politically."

I of course responded with, "You need to watch it before you lose something near and dear to you," a threat, by the way, that still carries weight over the span of the Pacific Ocean. 

I don't care if you are ALP or LP or Rep or Dem or Green or what have you, the Dalai Lama is a fantastic unifying experience for all.  I hope to see all of you out there soaking in the peace of the holiest man in the living world while jamming to the sweet tunes of Ben Lee.  June 15. Check it out.

For my ActNow big action I've decided to try something else besides eat organic  food.  Although it's important to me, I think I want to try something even harder, something that really impacts the economy.

I think I'm going to only buy Australian. 

Australian everything, for one whole week.  That means food, clothes, you name it. 

Does anyone have good suggestions about where to find Australian originals? 

Oh and BY THE WAY . . .on an unrelated note . . .

For those of you on Facebook please check out the ActNow facebook group.  We need friends!

It's not always easy to take action, even in regards to issues that you care deeply about.  Action requires effort - that little extra something that you could give but aren't always willing to.  It's like my friend Sean always says, "Wouldn't you rather do less?"

He's right.  Doing less is so much easier.

But it's not always the right or best thing to do.  Sometimes you just need a little more in your life.

I remember a couple years back an ex-boyfriend of mine had a mother who was consumed by this new diet book written by, of all people, Mary Lou Henner of "Taxi" fame.  She was a big advocate of eating organic and free-range foods as a way of not only losing weight, but helping the environment and small farmers, as well. 

 I started to seriously consider this diet as an option - not because I like the show "Taxi" (even though I do!), but because Mary Lou was making some sense.  If you could do just a little bit more, go that little extra mile (or, kilometer for all my metric friends), would you?  In the case of living a non-GM food lifestyle, I would have to go out of my way to track down these foods, spend the extra money, and in general have to keep close track of what I eat. 

It's just more work to eat organically. I mean, I love cheap groceries as much as the next college student.  I also love going out to eat and picking any old thing off the menu without care. But in the end, I think it'll be worth it.  Not only will I be promoting my own health, but I'll be promoting the health of animals and produce everywhere, all while supporting the small farms community. 

It won't always be easy, and it certainly requires more effort.  I think that it's a feasible goal.  I hope by the end of my stay in Australia to make 70-80% of my diet GM free.  Next week starts the action, so stay tuned.  And feel free to leave any tips or comments on how I can be successful in my goal!  I'll need all the help I can get :).