I find peace in nature. In the company of animals, plants, looking at the sky and sitting by water. It’s no secret that I often prefer the company of animals, where I find joy. I am very grateful for the the beauty that surrounds me and for the loving people in my life, too many to name. I know this is not true for everyone, and I wish them a place of peace.
They say when you travel into space you experience something called the “overview effect.” It’s a shift in awareness, consciousness and identity, viewing the earth from space. You get to see the earth in the context of the vast universe. And you see it differently. William Shatner, Captain Kirk to many, went up in space with great expectations for awe and came home weeping and grieving...for the earth. He experienced the “overview effect.” He saw our planet’s imminent death.
I’m disheartened by how we humans feel we can just keep going as we always have and some miracle will stop the death of our planet. How we still believe we can conquer or dominate nature or wild animals, even when we see this living planet fighting like hell all around us, hoping to survive our killing fields.
There are so many things to be concerned about in our world today, but I see the effects of this climate crisis all around me and I wonder about our state of mind. Before us sits a deep existential question. Will we save our planet?
This Thanksgiving weekend, I encourage you to get outside, go to a park, take a walk or sit in your backyard or on a balcony. No matter where you live, look up at the sky, see the color, the clouds, the sunset, and take deep breaths while you find beauty in the natural world around you. Find a tree or a bush, feel the bark and watch birds and bugs and see how the trees and plants reach their branches towards the sky. Sit by a lake or river and watch the currents pass by. Spend some time with animals and pay close attention to their eyes, their bodies and what they are expressing.
Connect to the miracle of nature.
I believe when we love something, we are more likely to work to preserve it. Fall in love with our home, the planet earth. And do something in gratitude, however small, to save it.
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