Day in the Life

Dear Day in the Life-

Had a dentist appointment this morning.  I noticed that for whatever reason, my anxiety about going to the dentist has diminished significantly since my last visit.  I’m not sure if it’s because I switched dentists, or because I finally started realizing how much I love to smile and going every 6 months is essential to the livelihood of my mouth.  The more I procrastinated in the past going to the dentist, the more I feared going which lead to further procrastination. This leads me to believe that my anxiety did not stem from any traumatic event that happened in my dental childhood, but rather a result of my procrastination deceiving my mind to believe there was a reason why I was putting it off, thus building a fear. In any event, I realized that as long as I am there, I should make my next appointment right away because I know I won’t make one once I step out of the building. 

I learned that I am a habitual procrastinator but feel tremendously better if I tackle the task at hand immediately. I actually submitted my taxes this year ahead of time and it was great (thought I’d share that).  One would think that the positive feeling associated with finishing something ahead of time would encourage me to stop procrastinating, but it is simply not the case.  For some reason, I’m drawn so powerfully to putting something off, that it overrides the positive feelings of on time completion. 

I bought a late afternoon snack today from the convenience store in the building at my work.  The man who owns that store is very nice, but no matter what the size of my purchase, he insists on putting the things in a bag and questions me when I refuse one.  It made me wonder why, especially to minimize the costs you would think he would only offer bags when necessary or when someone asks. The bag itself is no larger than your standard paper lunch bag, though I’m sure if he habitually pushes bags on customers, the costs would add up.  Today, I went with a co-worker and observed her check-out process with the man.  He did not offer, let alone insist she have a bag, even though her quantity was the same amount as mine. I had a total of three small items: a soda can, beef jerky and chips.  When I refused the bag, his response was “but how will you carry everything?”  I gave in, “OK, I’ll take a bag.”

As I carried my paper bag of items up to my desk, I realized that I couldn’t recall the last time I actually carried a paper grocery bag away from a store.  They are always plastic.  “Is plastic OK?” is the common bagger question.  It made me wonder why plastic is so preferred over paper these days and what is exactly behind this bias.  After a little Internet research, I found that environmentally, plastic and paper both biodegrade at the same rate over a 40 year span; however, paper is bulkier and takes up more space in the landfills and is also a little pricier to produce, making plastic the favorite.  Globally, plastic is winning the race.  I must say I have an abundance of plastic bags filling up in my pantry and I can’t use them fast enough.  No one knows exactly how many plastic bags are thrown away each year, but it is estimated in the billions (though only .6% are actually recycled).

Well, I think that’s enough thought for today.

The Lovable,
Rebecca