How do I feel about the ecological crisis?
I see constant reminders in the media and around me of the hurts of our land. Today I went on a rainy spring hike to my local nature spot and even there I found stakes in the ground delineating where there will be construction and the trees have already been cut down. I feel sad, I am grieving the loss of something dear.
The destruction of our earth is so very big, the timelines to change feel so tight, and the solutions can feel just beyond reach. I teeter between feeling overwhelmed and feeling the need to do something. I feel far more productive when I busy myself with the frenzy of daily life, anything to keep me from feeling powerless.
Additionally, I feel shameful that it is my very actions that are contributing to the climate crisis of our times. I drive a car, I live where there once was a forest. Worse yet, I am leaving it up to my children and their children to contend with the consequences.
I am pulled into a sense of responsibility to do something; I feel hopeful and I feel called into action. I care deeply about the earth, my life source and my home.
I paused on my hike to bask in nature’s beauty and power. The pond before me had been renewed by the cold of the winter and now the rains of the spring. The droplets were splashing the water's surface, sending out waves of their impact. I watched the ripples meet new ripples and was reminded of the ways things are changing. There were more organic options at the grocery store this week, when I'm out I can spot new solar panels I hadn't seen before, and in my work I hear ways nature brings such a sense of health to people's lives. I turned my face up toward the rain clouds as my offering of thanks. I felt peace.