One of our current efforts is to eliminate plastics out of our food preparation and storage. Howard did a bunch of reading on the effects of microplastics, particularly the interactions between chronic fatigue, long covid, and microplastics. The science is not clear, but switching our food containers is a small change and if it helps, why not? We definitely needed to switch out our plastic cutting boards. They were aging and had begun visibly shedding plastic fragments every time we used them. In an effort not to replace old plastic with new plastic, Howard acquired some stainless steel cutting boards. I don’t like using them. The sound of the metal knife on a metal cutting board sends bad sensations up my arm. So I did a small splurge and bought a set of acacia wood cutting boards.
I’ve always found the textures and colors of stained wood to be beautiful. I love how wood was grown instead of made. Every time I use this board I am pleased with how it feels in my hands, how it looks to my eye, and how it functions as part of my food preparation. Life is full of tools for necessary tasks. Selecting them to provide a small joy instead of a small annoyance improves my daily experience. It gives me a small lift instead of a small drain. I need every lift I can get.