A Blog Post About a Blog Post About How I Became The Resistant Naturalist.
Seven years ago this month, I began a blog within which I could discuss natural, organic, and chemical-free products for menstruation, camping, food consumption, and so forth. The blog was called The Resistant Naturalist Explains... (https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/5093550461309435712?tab=wj). The term "resistant naturalist" refers to my lack of desire to become a naturalist in some ways. Don't get me wrong, I've always been interested in keeping our environment safe. But there were things that I just didn't think were necessary, or hadn't thought of at all. Until I had no choice but to think about them:
"But in some ways I have had no choice. It started when I found out that the chemicals in a human-made product I used monthly were bringing me pain. I was advised that I would need to use alternative sources. A few years later I found out that I have a chronic gastrointestinal (GI) illness that is exacerbated by the chemicals in everything from cleaning products to, yes, food! I also found myself in a position of having multiple sinus infections in a year, being prescribed antibiotics, and having my GI illness adversely affected by that." - Resistant Naturalist About Post
The monthly product I mentioned was Always, meant to help with women's menstrual cycles. I had used Always pads since I began menstruating at twelve years of age. When I found out that they were hurting me every month, and my medical doctor suggested that I try reusable pads, I thought, well that's disgusting! This all happened during a time when the whole naturalist thing was not as popular as it is today. Back then, I could only get reusable and chemical-free items online from a few vendors or in small stores and markets that were 45 minutes away from me. Today, I see some of those same products on shelves at supermarkets, as well as products made by Always and other companies which themselves are dye and chemical free. It is mind-blowing how different things have become.
Today, I am much less resistant than I was during my first several years of exploring more natural options for my life. That may be due to the fact that I am more comfortable with myself in general. It may be that I have realized that I don't have to get a rash every time I clean my house. Perhaps it does have something to do with the normalization of the naturalist lifestyle in recent years. Whatever the reason, I am no longer dragging myself toward naturalism.
In fact, I am much more easily naturalistic now than I was when I embarked on the naturalist journey. I actively seek out cleaning, food, menstrual, and other products which are made humanely and environmentally consciously. I have my go-to brands, such as https://www.periodaisle.com (formerly Lunapads, which I mentioned in The Resistant Naturalist), Seventh Generation (https://www.seventhgeneration.com/home) and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day (https://www.mrsmeyers.com/). I recently discovered Grove Collaborative (https://www.grove.co/member/home), and am enjoying exploring the products sold by that company.
When I started the Resistant Naturalist blog, I was thinking that if even one person could be helped by what I had tried and how well it worked for me, it was worth posting. That was true even if what I tried could be seen as disgusting to me or to the reader. I made sure to use the labeling option and caution people who might not want to think or read about such topics. I created that blog to help people who had similar struggles to mine. I wanted to make it easier for them to walk the path of naturalism, particularly for those who, like me, were resistant. I hope that it has been made easier over time, and glad that I could play a small role in the process.
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