I just feel like ranting. I’m facing mounds of paper that need to be organized and I hate it. Bills, notices, and don’t get me started on the medical paperwork connected to Obamacare.

I Love Trees!

I just went out and bought another box of file folders to organize all this paper and it made me feel like a sinner. Yes, guilty of contributing to the death of trees. But at least I recycle.

It’s really not enough to recycle, we need to reduce our dependency on paper. I like digital media and paying bills online but my house mailbox is still full of junk everyday. And then, there is the filing cabinet and shelves of folders containing years of expenditures, contracts and etcetera. Who decided we have to document every penny and decision of our lives on paper and keep it for at least 7 years?

I just don’t like paperwork, and the forest is backing me up on this one.

Document my heart instead

What’s really irritating is that all this paperwork makes you feel unsuccessful, disorganized and overwhelmed if you don’t enjoy dealing with it. But hey, I knew from a very young age that I didn’t want to be a paper pusher. I had no interest whatsoever in any type of clerical, secretarial or accounting careers. I also had no interest in advertising although my art teacher definitely tried to get me to go in that direction. Even in photography I was very selective about what I printed.

It’s the paper trail of legalistic and medical jargon, bills, receipts, contracts, instructions, advertising, packaging and miscellaneous information that makes my life hell. There’s just so much of it that seems unnecessary and overly time consuming. I can think of much better things to do with my time here in this world, and if I die tomorrow I would really hate for my legacy to be an non recycled paper trail.

It’s a pity that we can’t see each other’s hearts and trust each other’s intentions – that would get rid of a lot of unnecessary paper usage.

The Necessities

There are some paper products that are hard to replace, like toilet paper, but all this bureaucratic, advertising, packaging and informational crap I would rather flush. Through the end of this year I’m on a mission to recycle & reduce as much of it as I can.

I’ve even taken to reading books on my phone recently. Although I thought I would miss the feel of a book, actually I don’t. It’s the most convenient thing I’ve ever experienced since I carry my phone with me everywhere anyway and it fits in the palm of my hand. But even late at night at home I don’t need to wonder where I put my book because it’s always right on my phone, which is always in my purse or connected to an outlet charging.

I want to live free of unnecessary paper usage. I want my future grandchildren to have plenty of trees to climb and oxygen to breathe. We think there’s always enough so we just keep using as much as we want. But the earth is already telling us we’ve created a problem, an imbalance. It’s past time to start tipping the scales in the other direction. Save the trees! (As well as everything else on the planet.)