how spud makes the world a better place

I do some of our household's grocery shopping online with spud. (Small Potatoes Urban Delivery) If you haven't heard of spud, well, you're missing out. Spud's my nifty organic online grocer - that delivers right to my door. I love spud. The average spud customer spends just 9 minutes on their online order, freeing up 81 minutes a week in time spent going to the grocery store. (And did I mention it's some of the loveliest, freshest, organic, local, sustainable food ever to delight one's palate?) AND it's delivered to my door by a really sweet delivery person?

So what do I do with my 81 minutes a week (that I don't spend at the grocery store)? In my own small way, I use those 81 precious minutes to make the world a better place. Sure, it might sound pathetically trite, but it's true. I'm not in a position to go off working for an NGO in a third-world country. I'm a stay-at-home wife and mother, living rurally, committed to homeschooling my amazing children. And so I wrestle with it - how am I supposed to make the world a better place? By shopping with spud. Not only do I rest easy knowing I'm doing good things for the environment and also supporting the local agricultural economy and food chain and local businesses, but I know that at the same time I'm giving my family the best nutrition out there. So I use my 81 minutes each week to improve myself in some way (after all, "be the change you want to see in the world" said Ghandi) - by practicing meditation, tai chi, and Reiki, through spending time connecting with and immersing myself in Nature... by educating myself through reading nonfiction books like Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson) or Anastasia (Vladimir Megre), or researching new interests on this-here-internet-web-thingee (lol)... it's all about a commitment to life-long learning. I spend the 81 minutes enjoying my children's company - listening to their dreams, their hopes, their concerns... listening to their Truth - engaging in deep philosophical and spiritual conversations (yes, with 9 & 6 year olds, absolutely). With those 81 minutes, I hang laundry out to dry, make nutritious meals and play with the dog... It may not seem significantly life-changing or inspiring to everyone, but those things add value to the lives of those around me, and that is time well-spent. With 81 minutes, I let my creative self loose. I dance, I sing, I play with cob, and I write. With those 81 minutes, I build community - I walk to the mailbox, converse with my neighbours, volunteer my time in various capacities. Those 81 minutes are spent delightfully exercising my body: building and stretching my muscles, keeping my heart and lungs and well, all of me, healthy, jumping for JOY, learning to honour and respect my body. I spend the 81 minutes each week laughing, loving... experiencing emotions and well, really, totally and completely experiencing life. It's about living a life of values I cherish, values I've really contemplated and hold dear. And those values are all seated in a belief that the best life is one spent in service towards making the world a better place for us all.

And I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks, spud.