Cultural Creatives: Are you Ready to Rise?

Talking 'bout a revolution....
So what makes a "Cultural Creative?"  According to sociologist Paul H. Ray, cultural creatives are made up of people with varying degrees of the following traits: focus on or interest in spiritual mysticism, ecological and community sustainability,  relationships with others and acceptance. Belief in the importance of world travel, altruism, and activism. Self actualization and feminism. Concerns about violence. Creativity in daily life. Nature as sacred. Distrust of big business. Simplification of life in general. Alternative health care.

Sound like you?  This "group" has the potential at this juncture in time, according to Ray, to actually create another renaissance in thought.  To revitalize the culture.  But many don't know they are members. And you can't have a renaissance without awareness.  The way this will work is if people band together in larger and larger communities, find each other and generate power in numbers.  It's started to a degree, in indie craft forums and green community groups, for example.  Consumers and other audiences already have gained more power over business through online networking and the viral spread of ideas. 

I for one am ready.  I've got my eco grocery bags and knitting needles, my little man, some of the most unique and interesting people on the planet that I'm lucky enough to call my friends and family, and my humble little blogs.  My immediate family (all conservatives) told me I'd lose my idealism by age 30.  Guess what?  I'm 34 and I've still got it!  And by "it," of course, I mean all that and a bag of soy chips.  Hey, ho - let's go!

Don't Tell Mom the Maid's Dead

"The dishes are done, man!"

I stayed up till midnight last night to do dishes. I had already taken down the Christmas tree and balanced the boxes artfully in a Dr. Seuss-esque tower in the garage. I was on a roll and figured I'd keep on keepin' on, though I didn't get more than 5 minutes of post-work downtime. Booo.

However, one of my Home Ec resolutions is to no longer go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. It's ten times grosser to clean up the next day, it hits me with Catholic guilt first thing in the morning (not healthy for my psyche), and a shining sink at bedtime is a major best practice in Marthaworld. The task (and its lateness) was unpleasant, but came with many rewards the next day and I felt as if I had made some progress on my quest.

So what did I use to green-clean my dishes?