“I love a challenge.”
It’s the rallying cry behind a lot of crappy decisions.
Let’s take the morally questionable and sexually philanthropic decade that I like to refer to as “My 20s.” There were certainly more than a few challenges during that time of my life, but most of my friends and I seemed to glom onto the worst boyfriend material we could find. If he was nice, considerate and treated you right then he was a dud. Bring on the bad boyfriend.
- Treat you like shit? Check!
- Blow you off to do stupid stuff with his friends? Check!
- In the middle of sex ask you if you have a sister? Check!
MMMM-HMMMMM…he’s perfect.
And when a friend would look at your situation and say, “Um…what the fuck is the matter with you?” like little pre-programmed robots we’d all answer, “I love a challenge.”
Fortunately I moved on from my twenties and I’d like to think my decision-making skills have improved. As a society, though, we still seem drawn to positively absurd challenges. Here are five social media challenges. Four are real. One I made up. Can you spot the fake?
- The Hot Pepper Challenge
- The Space Monkey Challenge
- The Charlie Charlie Challenge
- The Purple Nutsack Challenge
- The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge
OK, while they’re all terrible ideas, The Purple Nutsack isn’t actually a challenge. When I suggested adding it to the list, my husband just winced, crossed his legs and wandered off.
OK, while these are all awful and I can’t recommend enough to NOT try these I will admit that The Purple Nutsack is not a challenge and when I suggested to my husband that I add this to the list he just winced and wandered off.
My whole point is this. There are a literal fuck-ton of awful, dangerous and downright ridiculous challenges out there. So why not use our love of challenges for something that actually makes the world a little better?
Enter the Plastic Free Challenge.
www.plasticfreechallenge.org/what-is-single-use-plastic
We all know plastic isn’t great for the environment, but recycling isn’t the magical solution most of us wish it was. A lot of that plastic still ends up in landfills or the ocean. Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? If not, look it up and prepare to be horrified.
Now, I’m not saying we should eliminate every piece of plastic from our lives overnight. That’s not realistic. Like blow jobs, I believe everything should be in moderation.
Plastic grocery bags, plastic straws, plastic forks, plastic cups, plastic coffee lids. Single-use plastic is exactly what it sounds like. You use it once, throw it away and then someone else gets to deal with it.
The good news is most of it is avoidable.
Reusable shopping bags. Metal straws. BPA-free water bottles. Small changes really do add up.
Is it doable? Hell yeah.
Is it a pain in the ass? Hell yeah.
But we love a challenge, right?
I already do most of those things, but recently I found another easy swap. We cook a lot at home, which means we wash a lot of dishes. I also go through an embarrassing number of kitchen sponges and plastic dish scrapers, so I started looking for a more eco-friendly option.
That’s when I found Scrufah.
It’s basically a loofah for your dishes. No plastic. Biodegradable. Compostable. Non-toxic.
Why do we go through all the trouble of buying organic food but never stop to think about what we’re scrubbing our dishes with?
They’re soft when wet (insert giggling here) but still tough enough to clean without scratching my cookware. They come three to a box, each lasting about two to three months, and they’re compressed flat until you get them wet, when they expand to full size.
Now it almost feels like they’re writing these jokes for my husband.
I’ve been using my Scrufah to clean everything from dishes and pots to reusable water bottles and metal straws, and I’ve been really happy with it.
So now it’s your turn, you challenge-loving freaks.
Join the fight against single-use plastics. Maybe a Scrufah isn’t your thing, but replace one disposable item in your house with something reusable. Every little bit helps.
The amazing company that makes Scrufah, Oliver Flynn Lifestyles, is a small family business started by two sisters who wanted to create a low-tox lifestyle for their kids while reducing plastic waste. They’re also offering Living Clean and Dirty readers 15% off on Amazon with coupon code HBIC3MCK.
Check out their Website, Facebook and Instagram
They’re up to the challenge. Are you?
Oliver Flynn Lifestyles provided me with a Scrufah to facilitate this review; however, all opinions expressed are my own.
