To Give Up Guilt
I try my best not to spend more money than necessary on, well, anything, and to be as environmentally friendly as I can. We shop in thrift stores. I keep track of prices for things in the grocery store and shop multiple stores to get the lowest price on things whenever possible. I am willing to spend more on a good quality item that will last rather than needing to replace an item more often. I research products before I make major - and sometimes even minor - purchases to make sure I'm getting my money's worth. And I don't usually buy things I don't need.
However, I do buy shredded cheese rather than shredding my own.
This became a hot topic in an online conscious consumer group of which I'm a member. When a chronically ill person posted that they take shortcuts such as buying shredded cheese instead of purchasing block cheese and shredding it themselves, and asked if other chronically ill people did similar in order to balance being a mindful consumer with meeting real life needs, people in this group offered all sorts of opinions and advice and not a little bit of criticism. Much of the advice had to do with how to shred a block of cheese with less effort in order to save on packaging and the other non-eco-friendly consumerist issues surrounding the purchasing of shredded cheese. Other advice included dietary changes and other natural "treatments" or "cures" for what ailed this person. Few people responded to the actual question, as they couldn't fathom not being able to shred cheese.
What's the big deal about shredding cheese, anyway?
People without chronic health issues cannot fully understand what it's like to live with multiple painful, debilitating illnesses nor the great effort it can be to do something as seemingly simple as shredding cheese. You see, in order to shred cheese I need to get the cheese out of the fridge, get out the shredder (or the food processor, which is heavy), something to catch the shredded cheese, and something in which to store the leftover shredded cheese. I then have to wage battle with the packaging of the cheese, which I cannot grasp with my hands on bad days and use scissors (which I might not be able to operate) or a knife (with which I'm more likely to stab myself than the plastic) to get through the packaging. Then commences the labor of shredding the cheese. I could shred just what I need, but then I'd have to re-wrap the excess and put it back in the fridge, only to repeat the process when I again needed shredded cheese. Or I could shred the entire block, but that's labor intensive and would also require somehow packaging the extra shredded cheese and putting it back in the fridge. But once the cheese is shredded, the task isn't over. There's the issue of washing the shredder (or food processor), and wiping down the counter to clean up stray cheese shreds. By this time, I could be too tired and/or in too much pain to use the shredded cheese in the meal I was planning. For some, a few more minutes on our feet or a little more effort means the difference between accomplishing a task or not. Add in bending and lifting, and some things become nearly impossible.
Yes, some people are that ill and/or in that much pain. I'm not far from there most days recently.
I could better use this energy making food with cheese already shredded for my convenience. That is, if I can get the darn zipper seal thingy to open without losing grip on it and making cheese confetti instead.
So please, let pre-shredded cheese users off the hook. And those who don't look disabled, yet use an accessible parking tag and space. And people who park crooked. And people who wear pj bottoms in public. You never know what struggles they may be facing.
Today, I intend ...
...to not feel guilty for the shortcuts I need to take due to my increasing disability.
... to not judge others in their choices.
... to extend grace to those who cannot understand the depth of pain and disability some experience.
... to express more gratitude to the helpers in my life who make my days go more smoothly.
What's the big deal about shredding cheese, anyway?
People without chronic health issues cannot fully understand what it's like to live with multiple painful, debilitating illnesses nor the great effort it can be to do something as seemingly simple as shredding cheese. You see, in order to shred cheese I need to get the cheese out of the fridge, get out the shredder (or the food processor, which is heavy), something to catch the shredded cheese, and something in which to store the leftover shredded cheese. I then have to wage battle with the packaging of the cheese, which I cannot grasp with my hands on bad days and use scissors (which I might not be able to operate) or a knife (with which I'm more likely to stab myself than the plastic) to get through the packaging. Then commences the labor of shredding the cheese. I could shred just what I need, but then I'd have to re-wrap the excess and put it back in the fridge, only to repeat the process when I again needed shredded cheese. Or I could shred the entire block, but that's labor intensive and would also require somehow packaging the extra shredded cheese and putting it back in the fridge. But once the cheese is shredded, the task isn't over. There's the issue of washing the shredder (or food processor), and wiping down the counter to clean up stray cheese shreds. By this time, I could be too tired and/or in too much pain to use the shredded cheese in the meal I was planning. For some, a few more minutes on our feet or a little more effort means the difference between accomplishing a task or not. Add in bending and lifting, and some things become nearly impossible.
Yes, some people are that ill and/or in that much pain. I'm not far from there most days recently.
I could better use this energy making food with cheese already shredded for my convenience. That is, if I can get the darn zipper seal thingy to open without losing grip on it and making cheese confetti instead.
So please, let pre-shredded cheese users off the hook. And those who don't look disabled, yet use an accessible parking tag and space. And people who park crooked. And people who wear pj bottoms in public. You never know what struggles they may be facing.
Today, I intend ...
...to not feel guilty for the shortcuts I need to take due to my increasing disability.
... to not judge others in their choices.
... to extend grace to those who cannot understand the depth of pain and disability some experience.
... to express more gratitude to the helpers in my life who make my days go more smoothly.
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