By: Michelle Carr
It’s cold but not uncomfortably so. Not the, your breath leaves you and takes the shape of vapors, kind of cold. But the kind that if you walk fast enough the only parts of you that remains so are the exposed parts. Hence the fact that my nose is red and slightly runny. I am trudging through the woods. I am not being forced to do it. I am not lost (well at least I don’t believe I am…this is still the path right?) Yes it is (whew) and I slowly make my way through the creek filled obstacle course. Though I am chilly, I am quite enjoying myself. Covering my face with hands I breathe from my mouth into the mini cave warming my fingers as well as my nose. Once the feeling returns to my fingertips, I continue on, jumping from rock to rock trying to avoid falling into the freezing stream. There are actually icicles suspended from a tree above me, yes actual icicles. Okay maybe I am crazy to be hiking when it’s slightly warmer than snow temperatures outside. But you know what, I am happily doing so.
I am freezing yet sweaty, muddy, wet, my palms are covered in a green moss residue and I am the best version of me. I have finally returned to nature. After many months of being trapped indoors the fresh air is revitalizing. There is just something quite wonderful about breathing in air that is not being pushed around and out of vents. I listen to the sounds around me, the signs of life in the woods. They are soothing, calming, and an amazing path to finding tranquility. I have heard people say that being out in nature, in the woods, at the beach and the like, they feel closer to the Creator than anywhere else. This I can easily believe as these are the places I go to clear my head, reconnect with me and find solace.
But this time as I am enjoying my trip through the creek, I think on how our world is on a dangerous path. I think of all the trees, such as the ones I am passing that have been cut down for someone’s profit. I wonder what we will do as a human race when there are no longer trees to counter act the carbon emissions or even to produce the oxygen that we so badly need in order to live. Where will our children play when all the free land is covered with concrete? How sad would it be to suddenly no longer have beaches because all the icebergs have melted and covered a great portion of the land? Where will we go to help us find our serenity then? Where will we go to escape the craziness that comes when the world gets too loud? And even more importantly, how will life go on?
Contrary to what some people would like you to believe the effects of climate change are very real and can no longer be ignored. This is not a problem that will fix itself. Or one that can be taken care of only by the ones who have decided to change the way they live. The solution lies with all of us. We must all make an effort to be better in order for the world to maintain human life. Because it will be us that goes extinct, the world can survive without us. These changes must be made to ensure the future of our children and our children’s children. It is for us to lead the way and show them how to protect the gifts this planet has to offer.
Last year, I wrote a blog about how challenging it was to try and be green. How the task seemed so big when you were starting out but I was determined to do so. I know that I am still not the epitome of green living. I know there is a lot more I could still change about my lifestyle that would make a difference. But the thing is that I am continuously trying to improve myself. Every day I am learning how to be better and am working to lessen my carbon footprint. I can tell you with complete certainty that I am a lot greener today than I was a year ago. I am, as always, the constant work in progress.
It’s like yoga, you start off small, with the basic steps. Because if you start off immediately thinking you can do a headstand without ever having done so before, chances are you are going to fail. Fail and possibly hurt yourself badly. So knowing you can’t tackle what someone who has been doing it for years can do, you start off with a basic warrior pose and work your way up from there. You have to be open to trying new things, a forever student, constantly learning how to improve upon what you are doing. Things are always changing as we learn more about the effects our actions have on the environment. Some changes we make to be better also have their own impact and sometimes it comes down to simply the lesser of the two evils. The main thing to keep in mind is that it is a journey. One that you will get better on as you make more things habits and challenge yourself to grow. Before you know it you will look at yourself again and see that you are close or indeed exactly where you had wanted to be when you first started. So don’t ever compare yourself to others along the way. Because you don’t know where they are in their journey and theirs is not yours. You must know that every change you make is important and the fact that you are doing so is what’s most important. The small beginnings turn into big changes when you keep at them, trust me. These life changes are what make the ultimate difference in the end. Make every day Earth Day my friends, our future generations need us to.
Image taken by Michelle Carr at Turkey Run State Park
Image taken by Michelle Carr at Turkey Run State Park