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Loving Nature — My Take on "Earth Day Every Day"

April 20, 2023 3 min read

This post first appeared on my Substack — Have A Great Now.

Ok, so this isn't technically an ode, moreso a nod. This is my attempt to put words to something that means everything, so really, there aren’t adequate words for this. What I do know though, is that the times in my life when I’m frantic and sick and discouraged, there are some key missing ingredients:

sun on bare skin
soles of my feet making solid contact with dirt, grass, earth: GROUNDING
water in view or body in water
birdsong
space and availability to find awe in nature. timeless lingering.
fresh foods
moon / star gazing

The rest of the conditions in my life will always be what they are, but my ability to cope and choose reactions and be of the energy that makes the “right” responses only come when I have had enough of the above.

Nature has been one of the few constants in my life — a soothing, harmonizing backdrop to a nervous system wired for stress in most other situations.

Nature is the one place where I always feel safe. And even if I’m pushing my boundaries or up against a fear within her many scapes, somehow I also trust that if I’ve happened upon that scenario (waves bigger than I’m comfortable with, precip conditions my tires can’t seem to handle, or slopes my legs aren’t ready for) there’s a reason. I’d rather, to be dramatic, die at the hand of nature than any place else. I trust her completely.

Building a business about nature, I see now, was probably my soul’s nudge to push me to devote myself to it. I am a disciple of the water, the sun, the earth itself.

And in this devotion, the most surprising changes were not to how environmentally responsible I became, but just how more energetically aware and gratitude-soaked I now am. I can see myself and others from a new angle, through a new lens, one that didn’t seem available previously, no matter how much I pushed to get that perspective. Now I understand that there is an opportunity to learn from every single part of the natural world that I choose to hone in on. A single walk becomes a soulful sensory overload. The sun in my morning window feels like a trusted friend rubbing my back and ushering me forward. There are signs and messages in every moment.

I find myself getting a little protective every earth day, as I see folks who have no real embodiment or connection to the planet claiming this day as their own. And I realize that they, too, have every right to do that — they live here and so this day is theirs, too. Is my track record of sustainability and carbon footprint perfect? Absolutely not. Lately I have been terrible to earth in that sense. I see though that what I’m actually protective of is my relationship to the way in which I love and want to continue to love life on this planet. I’m protective of what I’ve established and want people to also create their own genuine approach to this — not some regurgitated, replicated, inauthentic, “for show” version.

Be with her. Get your feet on her. Swim in her waters. Thank her. Love her. Don’t just tell us that you like her. Don’t just share a meme about this one day when you donated. Dedicate your life to making yourself someone who is a true ally of all that she offers.

So yeah, buy vintage / second-hand / eco-friendly.

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

BYO bev containers.

Support businesses that are rooted in her care.

Plant a tree, plant a garden. Plant for pollinizers.

Skip the pesticides and non-organic fertilizers.

Bless your food.

Pray for the health of people and planet.

…but don’t forget to wake for sunrise, hug a tree, hug a human, hug a dog, skinny dip, smell the flowers, close your eyes and listen to the birds, taaaaaste your food, and chase more sunsets.

happy earth life.