Happy Earth Day, om guys and gals! There are plenty of ways to celebrate Mother Nature today, such as cutting the lights, recycling your kombucha bottles (wine bottles, old iPods, sneakers, etc.), donating to an eco-friendly cause, or planting a tree, to name a few. Honoring holidays in meaningful and unique ways is an important part of life, whether the holidays are large or small, official or not, somber or silly.
To kick things off, I thought it might be fun to give mad props to the Earth by sharing something you love about it. Post a comment, as specific or general as you like, that captures your respect for the air, sea, or land. I'll start with a few of my own random musings. . .
- I started running longer distances while in college in Virginia and I will never forget this one tree, far off campus, each fall. It was as though its leaves caught fire; the colors were so vibrant. I still recall how this tree could take my breath away as I ran by.
- I stare at the ocean and can just about make peace with all my problems, if only for a moment.
- I flip for farm stands and the completely different taste of food when it's grown locally, responsibly, and without chemicals.
- I love to hike with friends, sometimes without speaking. Instead, we just walk together, in quiet, listening to nature and smelling the intoxicatingly fresh mountain air.
- I would always rather walk than drive.
- I love that Om Mama has been composting at home for decades.
Now, it's your turn! Oh, how we heart the Earth (and its day). Let us count the ways . . .
Photos: (clockwise from right) Kripalu, winter 2009; a beach in Truro, MA; overlooking the Adirondacks, and St. Francis of Assisi in my Mom's garden.
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6 comments:
Watching my son explore/experience nature has been one of his biggest gifts to me. Last year, he sat on a beach, in Hero's pose and just stared at the waves crashing into the shore. A baby watching the power of Mother Nature. Calm stillness and powerful movement.
Peepers. The first slightly warmish evening I hear them my heart melts, my soul unclenches, I breathe again because I know Spring is back. Peepers absolutely slay me every year right on schedule.
I am walking to your class tonight- that's pretty green!
Happy Earth day!
Ok... so one of my favorite things about going skiing in the winter is getting to admire the breath-taking view at the top of the mountain of snow-covered trees, trails and peaks.
I'm with you on the ocean too. Driving into work today (I had to, my commute is 40 miles!), I wasn't feeling so hot, and I had such a deep yearning to dig my toes into the seaside sand, where all my problems and worries fade away.
I recently visited New Zealand to see their preschools. At the Maori school, the children introduced themselves in the traditional way; first the name of their mountain, then their waterway, then their canoe (family or heritage literally, but also the great canoe that brought their ancestors to Aotearoa (NZ), then their own personal name. I really liked this practice... it's very humbling and deemphasizes the individual.
So, I'm Mount Rainier, Providence River, McDonald Joaquin, Kendra.
Thank you Anon., Kelley, Dan, Kendra, & Jen. From wherever you hail (Mt. Rainer, Providence River . . . Main Street in Watertown en route to my class last week), I am so blessed you all landed in this nook of cyber space.
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