I was feeling guilty for not sending out a newsletter for what feels like forever. I mentioned it to a friend who reminded me about the importance of focusing on some things and letting go (even if temporarily of others.) We were in the midst of catching up; commiserating on little kids, fixing up homes, and the value of words. It had been an embarrassingly long time since we had heard each other's voices instead of simply exchanging social media messages. Yet, the whole call had a bit of a precarious feel.
It used to be that I'd catch up with friends in the produce aisle. Attempting to find the unicorn of avocados—not yet ripe but not too unripe, I'd call a friend. While meandering through the aisles, we'd chat about everything and nothing. I have no idea when, if ever, I'll feel that comfortable in the supermarket again, so now, when I'm not listening to a podcast or don't just need quiet, I'll sometimes call a friend while walking the dog. I was ready at any moment to have to pause the conversation to say hello to someone on the street, allow the dog to say hello loudly or hang up entirely to stop the dog from eating something. She was listening for the sounds of her toddler, who at any second could decide it was not really nap time. Such is life at this stage. Appropriate as we skirted around the edges of a conversation on debts. What we owe to each other (we decided at this time it's the knowledge the other will forgive if we have to go and don't talk again for months), to our kids, to strangers, to the planet.
When I brought my house, one of the first things I did was put solar panels on it, simply because I could. And any remaining energy that powers the house comes from renewable sources because my state allows me to choose the type of energy supplied. Something that isn’t an option for everyone.
When I talk to my preschooler about what those things on the roof are, the conversation right now is focused on how they make the lights or the TV work, easy things for her to understand. But as she grows, I imagine it will shift: to how the energy from the sun is better for the planet but also for other kids like her, how it results in less air pollution. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every day, around 93 percent of children under the age of 15 breathe air so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk. What do we owe those kids? How do I teach my child, as she grows, to continue to think about the ways the choices she makes impacts others especially when it’s not as easy see those impacts as say when the dog barks at her for pulling her ears?
We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. I'm not sure who said that, and I'm even less sure I like the condition of the earth I'm inheriting. But as I borrow this planet from my child, I hope to take the actions I can so that I don't borrow more than I paid.
Some, like when we take a walk on the beach and bring a couple of bags with us: one to pick up any treasures we find, sometimes one for seaweed if we're experimenting with compost, and another to pick up any bits of plastic we also find are simple. An easy way to make one tiny part of our world better than we found it with each visit.
It's all a trade-off, though. And most are not that easy. As I kept walking the dog and my dear friend kept listening for her child, we talked disposable diapers versus cloth, used kids' clothes and more, deciding we do the best we can at whatever stage of life we're in. That best shouldn't be easy; it should be a bit challenging, yet if we do it, we can't fail.
Happy Earth Day
~ Bridget
Published: Meet the Science Moms Working To Save The Planet For Future Generations for Parents.com. These Companies Will Do The Beekeeping For You for Modern Farmer. Palm Oil Is Ubiquitous, and its Production Is Hard on the Earth—Here's How to Shop Responsibly Made Products for Martha Stewart.
Reading: Honestly, I've been so busy that I feel like I stopped and started reading a dozen things without making it more than a sentence way through. Ariel Lauren Wilson, however, just sent me this story on the secret powers of forests above the forest; that was a great listen.
Working: On summer stories, including what to do and eat. A piece on how oysters are helping to clean the waters in Long Island Sound for Edible CT-East, what climate change means for oat milk for Martha Stewart, Is gentle parenting attainable? for Parents.com and how climate change will affect pregnancy also for Parents.com, and more that I'm forgetting.
Join: A climate workshop with Michele Bigley! You don't have to be a writer to join, although we will be writing, but it will be a chance to express how you're feeling about climate and how to take action through words with a group of other like-minded people. This one is on April 28 at 8 pm ET. If you're interested, sign up here. It's free!
Loving writing! You're doing incredible work!