Green Psychology – finding harmony

Driving through the Sydney Harbor Tunnel the other day, I started thinking of a time long since past. A time of hardship experienced as a younger lady.  Without bearing my whole soul on the actual details of the surrounding events, I wanted to share a strong memory from this time.

Good friends, who were preparing to travel to America asked me if I would like to mind their home while they were abroad.  Knowing the details of my hardship they even suggested inviting some friends over for dinner one night.

After inviting my friends to an intimate dinner party and spending time deciding on a menu, I then went shopping.  At the supermarket I spotted a number of environmentally friendly reusable bags that the shop was selling.  I purchased enough bags to carry my groceries back to the car.

Arriving back to my ‘house sitting’ home, I placed the bags on the kitchen floor then walked back to shut the front door.  It was then that I turned back towards the kitchen and spotted those very same bags on the floor.  For what must have been a number of minutes, I stood silently staring at those bags. Even today when I think about my response to that moment, I am fascinated and still a little emotional. Just like the other day driving through the Sydney Harbor Tunnel, I often find my mind wonders back to that moment to ponder my reaction.

Reflecting upon it today those bags represent a change, a healing period and a sign that I was reclaiming my life.  Why?  To get through the hardship, to cope and to survive was my number one goal.  As the hardship was sustained over a long period of time, the will to survive perhaps overwhelmed and dominated all other facets of my life – like the desire to live a greener life.

Those purchased bags, represented a ‘changing of the guard’ moment. That I was now moving towards reclaiming my happiness and listening to my inner voice that for a long time was lost.  My inner voice is the inner me and it knows me better than my conscious self does.  My inner me knew that I desired to live in peace, harmony and balance.

My inner me knew that I desired to live a ‘greener’ life and hence the very moment I stepped towards my desire and away from my pain, I took another step towards a life lived in peace, harmony and balance.  This was because I walked in the direction of my desire.  Throughout time others have called this desire other titles like; your passion, your bliss, your calling and your destiny.

I believe I remember this moment so well because I remember the tremendous feeling of happiness and pride as I gazed upon those bags.  Though I wouldn’t have been able to articulate it back then, I believe my mind, soul and spirit knew that exact moment was significant.

Reading many blogs about other people’s green journeys, I am noticing a familiar pattern.  Others have written about similar experiences, mentioning that when they moved towards a ‘greener’ life that they moved towards an inner awareness of themselves.  Some bloggers have mentioned that they even moved towards peace and a sense of meaning.

It is apparent to me that my ‘green’ journey is an ongoing process of finding balance and harmony in my life.