Searching for Sustainability

A sustainable life.

This has been a key concept and thought to me recently. I want to live a life that is sustainable for me (that will help me be available to my community at my best self), emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally….all the lys. As a 20-something woman, I’m still trying to figure out what that looks like.

Naturally, I want to work hard for my dreams, but I want to play hard, too. What’s the balance?

I want to eat healthfully but enjoy the sweets too. Can’t I make the cake and eat it too?

Also, I’m curious about the physical strength my body has. Do I want to see my abs?

The idea is to live the life you want, and people always say things about how your life should work for you. I mean, I’m not wild about a cookie cutter life, but it would be nice to know the rules so I can break them or reshape the cookie cutter. But there are no rules because you’re meant to make them yourself. Or at least, that’s what’s being advertised.

When I googled “sustainable living,” I found a lot of websites about being conscious consumers and supporting companies that are free trade. I think that’s great! And I want to vote with my current currency (which is something between the dollar and euro depending on the day), but I can’t afford free trade. Sure, maybe an occasional free trade chocolate bar, which is better than nothing.

No, I’m not complaining about my finances. I’m happy and thankful with my current standard of living, but what I’m saying is that this definition of sustainable living (purchasing only fair trade) is not sustainable for me. Is that bad? I hope not.

Do other people wonder about how to make their lifestyle something that they could sustain for the next decade or so? Am I expecting too much to think I could define what a “sustainable life” would look like? Because I know I’m not there yet. Maybe I have a problem with contentment and restlessness or maybe I have yet to find the day-to-day life that I relish.

Because I’ve been asking around.

Do you like your job? What do you love about your job? Do you enjoy your coworkers? Do you like your diet, your schedule, your living situation, your roommates, your shoes? Do you overall love the life that you’ve chosen to live?

The answers vary, but mostly, they say yes. And then, they’ll talk about the little frustrations that they meet throughout their days, but they always circle back to how they wouldn’t want another life. For now, they are happy right where they are. From their answers, I’ve deduced that it’s not too much to ask for a life where your answer will be, “Yes, I like my life.”

Am I there yet? I don’t think so. Why? Because I’m asking how I can make my life sustainable. It’s one of those moments where your therapist or maybe friend asks, “Where do you see your life in 5 years?”

First, you can’t believe they asked that unfair question. But then, you think, “Not here.”