Do What You Can Do

Last night I watched Mission Blue, a Netflix documentary on the Ocean…specifically on Sylvia Earle and her life’s work. While it gave a grim and serious view of the truth of what’s happening to our Ocean, therefore our planet, it also gave hope through her campaign to create Hope Spots all over the planet. These Hope Spots are no-take, no-use zones in the Ocean that allow for recovery of the seriously- depleted life beneath the surface.

I knew this already so was wishing there had been more, more, more information and documentation on the Hope Spots. Lately I have desperately needed hope.

This morning over breakfast our Sunday morning sea turtle team talked about the situation in northern Iraq. None of us could figure out how humans can be so murderous. How is this even possible? What is happening on our planet? Such violence….to humans and nature.

When you dare to be informed about the societal challenges and environmental wasteland we are creating sometimes it is very difficult to maintain a sense of hope. How do we know our good intentions are taking root when most everything we see appears dark?

As I rested on the sofa, in the quiet of my home, after my pre-sunrise trip to the Gulf and my double-paced walk (to outrun an incoming thunderstorm) a couple of ideas came to mind. First, when we help sea turtle hatchlings make it to the Gulf we will not know for maybe thirty or forty years if the DNA was damaged, from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, enough to cause reproduction issues in these hatchlings. They won’t mature to reproduce for decades. We’re may not know the outcome of our efforts in our lifetimes. We do this with hope for the future.

Another idea…Before leaving for my walk I checked weather radar and saw thunderstorms moving in near my walk area. Knowing that I’d have to be moving rather quickly on the beach to avoid the inevitable lightning, I decided to leave my big Nikon at home. This wasn’t easy as I knew the clouds would most likely produce a lovely morning sky but carrying the added weight would slow me down and I’d be worried about it getting drenched with rain.

With just my iPhone, car key and a goretex rain jacket I walked the beach. The sky was lovely and was probably the most beautiful sky of the sea turtle patrol season. I paused to take photographs as I pushed to finish before the darkening sky unleashed fury. While reviewing the images after making it back home I realized that we do the best with what we have. This statement echoed through my mind and really spoke to me regarding helping the planet and each other.

We may not think we can make a difference or that our efforts creative positive change; however, if we do nothing we are guaranteed an outcome but not the one for which we hope. That gives one other option: Do what you can do.

I suggest this become a statement of intention, one of hope and a touchstone of light that reminds us that every thing we do does make a difference even if we cannot see immediate results, even if the tools we have are not the best. Every act made with positive intention adds to all of the other acts of good intention. May it continue.

So today I launch a new campaign of awareness to encourage and lift each other up. It’s operation, Do What U Can Do …tee shirts coming soon!

(P.S. All photographs taken with my iPhone….the beauty comes through regardless….)