I’ve made one New Year’s Resolution this year, to take a walk in the woods every day. Not real difficult, woods right in our backyard. Yes, difficult, I don’t do it. It’s harder for me than doing yoga and meditation. Here I am, a farm boy, always have loved being outside. As a kid, I was seldom inside. And now I find it difficult to walk into my backyard. Even my garden forgets who I am at times. Can I expect to be aware of this wonderful Earth we live on, if I hardly touch it in its natural state?
I felt the way to begin this article was to take a walk in our woods, sit under a tree, my best way of centering and becoming grounded. I 1istened. The message I received: “Go write what you have to – and come back tomorrow.”
I have been planting herb and flower seeds over the last week in the greenhouse. Did a little digging and planting in the garden yesterday – lettuce on Valentine’s Day, a family tradition. Have begun walking around the hills of Enright Avenue, becoming more knowledgeable of our terrain. But I’m still captured by “old tapes”, to do such a thing really is not valuable, it’s not productive. Got to be productive! And I think if we were all only half as productive as we are, we would do about half as much harm as we are now doing to our Earth.
What I need to do is to make falling in love with the Earth a top priority. We can only fall in love through contact. A single contact a day surely isn’t too much to ask. I feel there are people I love that I would probably give my life to protect. Is there a spot on this Earth sacred enough to me, that I love enough that I would do the same?
So much of the work I do is still people-oriented. For me to say this and to insinuate that this isn’t the way it should be sounds strange to me. Thinking of the Nicaraguan people whom our country is actively destroying; is it reasonable to be concerned about the land, the part of the Earth called Nicaragua? But the people, are they not a part of that Earth region? Would not a love for the Earth include all those who are inhabitants of that region, the Nicaraguan people being among those inhabitants?
To care about the Earth is to care about its people. To care about the people does not logically include caring about the Earth. But in reality, if we are to bring about change, they are inclusive of each other.
And so, I make my resolve again to go to the woods. Maybe, as in many groups, I need to deal with my addiction “one day at a time”. Today, I will go to the woods, go to my tree. From here, maybe I can learn the real meaning of loving and caring for the Earth and its people. I realize that this is no easy task, but it is not impossible, and it starts with each and every one of us making a contribution in some form or another of service. Then, I believe that we (humanity) have the ability to grow beyond our own, self-made limitations.
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