My Non-Existant Tabula Rasa

Another new year and another day that is not so different from the last. Yes, we're in a new millennium, but it's no different from 2008 or 2009. It's just a meaningless way of measuring time.

For most people the new year offers a tabula rasa - a chance to start over from scratch and erase all the bad habits that defined their life throughout the previous year. However, for me, it doesn't feel like much is changing. Nor do I feel like changing much. I enjoy my bad habits and those lingering 2 lbs I have been meaning to lose. I could drink a little less coffee and try to be a little more green, but I've grown to like the shaky feeling in my arms when I finish my third cup of coffee on an empty stomach, as I throw away my paper cup.

Maybe my cynicism is weighing heavy on me because it's a Monday morning and like most people, I hate Monday's and I am most definitely not a morning person. Or maybe I gained a little wisdom in the last year and understand the new year for exactly what it is - a day that isn't different from any other.

However, a while back I decided with the new year approaching I would resolve to speak more candidly and here is a passage that continues to inspire me to keep that resolution:

"If you ever doubt the power of language, listen more closely. Witness the magic the first time someone whispers "I love you." Watch a woman put on head phones, close her eyes, and have her life changed by a lyric. See a bad moment flipped upside down by a well-timed joke. Words propel us, empower us, make us human and more than human. We constantly struggle to say what we mean and mean what we say. To "wrestle with words and meanings." that's what t.s. eliot calls it. But as we whisper and shout, stutter and spin, we create order out of the chaos around us. We are built of words, and we live by them, too."

Green Reading: Eco-Friendly Tips for Booklovers

While I try to be green on a daily basis, Earth Day has got me thinking more about my not-so-green reading habits.  Generally, I buy paperback books from Amazon or B&N, read them, put them back on my shelf and wait for someone in my family to request one.  While this habit makes for a bookshelf worth bragging about, it has undeniably led to the destruction of more trees than I would like to think about.  In fact, according to Eco-Libris, more than 30 million trees are being cut down each year to produce the books sold in the US alone.  Yikes.  

Thus, I am going to attempt to change my reading habits.  Here is what I’m thinking:

(1) Exchange books with friends: After I read a book I know a friend would love I can mail it to them and request they do the same for me, or gift it to them for an occasion.

(2) Buy used: Amazon offers a ton of used titles, usually starting at around $2.

(3) Hit up the library: While I frequent the NYPL on fifth and 42^nd, I haven’t yet been to a library to check out a book. Come to think of it, I don’t even own a library card.

(4) Research which publishers offer books printed on treeless or recycled paper and support them by buying a book or two.

(5) Visit Eco-Libris to plant a tree for every book you read. Accepting Visa and MasterCard, Eco-Libris has made it easier than ever to plant a tree ($5 per tree).  Not only does this liberate your guilt, but Eco-Libris will also send you a sticker to display on your book’s sleeve so you can proudly show off your greenness.  Now that would make for a bookshelf worth bragging about.