Category: Nature

Good Stuff

Good Stuff

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It is easy to look around and see the terrible things happening in the world–the hatred and anger friends spew at each other over political, religious, environmental, human and animal rights issues–and think we have never, ever been in such a time of darkness. Our planet is heating up again and rapidly, people are arguing over the cause rather than joining together to work for solutions and many of us feel depressed, frustrated, angry and sad. Have you felt any of these things?

But then there are so many people working for good. Working to bring light and peace and love into this world regardless of the cynics, regardless of how hopeless it looks. And when I take time to see these miraculous stories of hope, I realize that true change is not only possible, IT IS HAPPENING! (Shouty capitals written from joy and hope!).

We have the intelligence to make the change and more importantly, we have the heart of compassion within us…every one of us has this spark of light within that only needs attention to grow. What we dwell on increases. If we focus on all the bad, it increases. But if we dare to give our attention to the good, the light-filled path, the heart of compassion….well, this grows and expands. And to think of how this can grow, starting with a few hearts lifted in love and surrender to the common good….oh, this is exciting indeed. And hopeful. And catching like a wildfire on dry grass.

We hunger for peace and light in this world. We have believed the lies and allowed those in power to separate us by putting us in boxes, in categories and we end up in the boxing ring of power for more. It’s time to walk out of the competition and come together. First, by simply acknowledging the beauty of each other and this wonderful planet.

Who is in? I am all in!

The Language of Nature

The Language of Nature

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This past summer I deepened my understanding of nature. The challenge I find now is conveying, in words, the lessons because they came in wordless experiences while sitting under star canopies, beside salty waters–each conveying not with words but with the essence of life. How could I possibly scribble symbols to share this ancient language”? It is unwritten and must be felt….deeply felt.

I’ve puzzled over writing about primeval energies with words. It seems like two ends of a very broad spectrum of experience–the body and visceral and the mind that wants to sort and categorize and label. Maybe ancient earth wisdom is best described by sharing sensations, what my body experienced. And that’s easy: opening. My heart, mind, soul, body….o p e n i n g. 

So maybe the only thing I need to write is that nature opened me this summer and I found a deep primeval dance within my heart and soul.

What makes you dance these days? What opens you to life?

Absorbing the Rain….And Other Blessings

Absorbing the Rain….And Other Blessings

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It started raining yesterday afternoon and continued on and off through the night. This morning it poured. The metal roof on my home sings when it rains. Sometimes staccato, sometimes a constant shuuuuuu like a waterfall.

I can almost hear the earth lapping the sweet moisture as it slowly sinks into the loamy soil. The resurrection ferns in the ancient live oaks have come back to life, green once again due to the life-giving moisture.

This cloudy, soft, gray day has pushed me gently inward and within I find recent blessings taking root and growing. Going deeper into my being, the truths that came to me are finding a welcoming home and like the resurrection ferns, I feel myself nurtured and fed and thus unfurling my arms to capture the rain, to welcome the blessings.

Two days ago I had a transformative moment when I suddenly understood, on a visceral level–a cellular level–a deep truth for my life. Here’s what I wrote: After over half a century in this body I realize that all I have ever longed for is to free myself to allow love to move freely through me. No walls, no blocks or defenses….just allowing the sweetness of love to fill me, move through me and touch others however they are able to receive….never have I understood so fully that we are love. Our only task is to clear away everything that keeps us from being who we already are.

I absorbed the lesson–the truth–and it is transforming me. It is my moisture, my healing, my growth…in truth, it is my rain. What is your rain today? What is helping you go deeper into the truth of your being? May you find yourself surrounded by blessings.

Cleaning Up Our Mess

Cleaning Up Our Mess

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On September 15th my mom and I participated in the 25th Annual Coastal Cleanup. We chose to walk the beach at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. In that 1.5 miles of beach we found: 34 plastic bags, 4 balloons, 12 plastic bottles, 4 pieces of glass, 4 aluminum cans, 33 plastic lids, 2 bits of fishing line, 2 pieces of cording, 1 large plastic battery case, 2 cigarette lighters, 1 tobacco wrapper, 1 condom, 2 chap stick containers, 1 plastic baby wipe carton, 1 plastic hair care bottle, 13 pieces of styrofoam, 5 food wrappers, 2 plastic pull tags, 2 plastic straws, 1 chair, 1 set of plastic flags, 4 rope pieces, 1 large tire, 2 plastic oil containers, 1 plastic deodorant container, 1 plastic grate, 1 large plastic drain pipe, 4 pieces of rubber and 1 rubber glove.

Since 1987 61,513 volunteers have removed 1,169,844 pounds of debris on 3,917 miles of coast and/or shoreline In Alabama. The Ocean Conservancy compiles data from all over the world to identify the general sources of debris and activities related to it. Last year about 600,000 volunteers collected more than 9 million pounds of trash from 20,000 miles of coastline worldwide.

We could look at these totals of trash and berate ourselves for being such a trashy species. Or….we can look at this effort as not only a way to clean up our mess but also to raise awareness about environmental stewardship. It may have started with a handful of tree huggers but the event has grown into an opportunity for scout troops, churches, and families to join together, spend a few hours on a coastline and show love for the planet by being responsible stewards.

Gone are the days when we have the luxury to say, I didn’t do it so why should I clean it up? We grow together as a human family when we move beyond that narrow view into an expansive view of pitching in to help the planet, which ultimately helps us all.

Merrily, Merrily…Life is But a Dream

Merrily, Merrily…Life is But a Dream

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This morning the wind was painting the clear blue sky with wisps of white–feathery clouds that floated overhead as I paddled my SUP board. While I heard evidence of humans, I saw no one. The sounds of traffic faded and my focus became the splashing of water droplets when they jumped as my paddle sliced the surface of the Magnolia River.

My mind needed time to slow down and process everything that has happened in the past two weeks…this entire summer. Cooler temperatures and lower humidity, heralds of seasonal changes, prompted me to reflect as I paddled.

When Hurricane Isaac passed south of our coast, we really didn’t have much to complain about compared to those who weathered a direct hit. But it did pose a problem for some very special beings, still incubating in their eggs buried under the white sand beside the Gulf.

As the waves roared to heights of twelve feet and the frothy water churned, the beach slowly disappeared along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Not all of it, but enough to begin to wash away sea turtle nests–loggerheads protected under the Endangered Species Act. As soon as Little Lagoon Pass bridge re-opened a few of us went to check on the unhatched nests. One was washing away as I crested the dune. I found a baby half out of her shell, washed on top of the dune. My heart sank. Two other team members arrived and we collected unhatched eggs and egg shells. Because of flooding, the babies were coming too soon but were coming never-the-less because they have a reflex that takes over when their nest is flooded. They were emergency hatching.

With howling wind and driving rain and waves that were shaking the beach, these premie turtles were making a break for it. Emotions within me were scattered just as the egg shells were after waves had eaten the nest and dispersed them. But there was no time to stop and connect with feelings because of the work necessary to save these babies. And we saved as many as possible. The experience left me raw and unhinged.

But today….this beautiful pre-autumnal morning–there was time to allow a space for everything I have experienced this summer. Joyous births of hundreds of sea turtles over the course of the past few months, connecting with nature-lovers and people who put wildlife first, night skies filled with shooting stars, laughter and more all drifted effortlessly through my mind. And challenges I’ve had surfaced as well. But everything that floated through my mind  lazily moved by just as a piece of driftwood or leaf blown by the slight breeze.
This summer I’ve immersed myself so deeply with nature that trying to fit into a world of humans and machines has been challenging. I’ve wanted to simply allow nature to take me and teach me  the instinctual wisdom that many of us (as humans) have forgotten.

Sea turtles have called to me for many years. I’ve collected art–like a raku turtle hatchling that sits on my desk or the art tattooed on my body–and named my business, Turtle Island Adventures, and had experiences with them while diving or walking along the shore. All of this feels like bread crumbs along my Path, leading me to this point….this place of remembering.

The language of the wind, the Earth’s heart beat, star energy and the ancient instinctual wisdom of sea turtles has filled my summer and I’ve never felt so in sync with my purpose. If I could have dreamed up this life, I can think of few things I would add to the experiences unfolding….maybe world peace and renewable energy instead of fossil fuels….two more things to dream up. Will you join me?