earth day: reckoning beauty and blessings

today is earth day: the day of solidarity for our life-giving planet, our beautiful earth mother, and all the joyful plant, animal, and mineral miracles that celebrate their unique existence everyday by simply being.

we, humans, are part of the great nexus of life that is so special to our planet. on this day, it is important for us to remember how truly special we are, and how blessed we are to have our human history intertwined with the gorgeous story of life on earth.

southwest vista: view from the catalina national forest, tucson, az

i wanted this morning to give thanks and spread the love that inspires  me to be who i am; to live the way i live: to pray, run, eat, drink, and be merry each day that i make another trip around the sun on our lovely planet. i live a blessed life, an affable life that is shared by many of my friends, family, and fellow brothers and sisters here in america. our way of life taken for granted by us daily, we do not recognize, let alone rejoice in our lifestyles many resources the way we should. there is so much that we have that we did not create, we did not mastermind, that is totally out of our control.

the sheer wonder that is our earth's natural way needs to be embraced daily. this is how i find my energy, by appreciating the magnitude of earth's power to create life, and lust over the beauty of her life-giving ways... i live in the southwest of the united states--i live near the rio grande river, a desert river that carves its way from its earthen cradle of the rio grande rift valley--being near this powerful source of life and energy is wonderful, and daily runs, walks, and meditations by the banks of the river keep me sane, if not keep me alive. several million of us are kept alive by the rio grande daily, thanks to her true and steady flow for millions more years, the rio has continuously supported human cultures--from ancient peoples such as the anasazi and navajo, to the spanish colonials, and even the latest bout of  civilization, gringos. all colors of people, all names of cultures, all walks of life are supported by the rio's life-giving waters.

the gila cliff dwellings: apache civilization that lived at the headwaters of the gila river for centuries.

on this earth day, i want to recognize that we do not understand the power and mystery that is water. water is used by all life, and makes our planet a unique place in our universe. but water, is taken for granted. it is used, and abused unfairly by humans. we do not appreciate its mysterious sources, its landscaped design, nor its determination to flow in balance with the rest of the environment. water, as powerful and miraculous as it is, is not infinite and will cease to flow when demands are too high, when it is abused by its users.living here in the southwest has taught me to value the blessing of balance in nature, and that balancing my actions with the limits of water as a resource, are imperative to my survival.

i know that many of the stresses on water as a resource are beyond my control, which is frustrating, to say the least. i cannot control the ways cities grow, the way farmers farm, the way factories pollute, the way oil is drilled, the way cows roam... i am a part of the system of human use, and as self-aware as i can be, my part is still related to the bigger problems of humanity. i am a part of a society that is wasteful, abusive, and ignorant to the limits of nature.

the gila river: a place of wonder and wildness

but here is the silver lining (because we always need more hope in this world): i am also part of a sub-society that is aware of the arid peril that humanity is placing itself on the brink of... i have chosen friends and co-workers who are determined to change the way society interacts with its environment, i have smart, noble, and passionate folks around me that work hard every day to protect our natural resources: water, air, land, and life. these people are inspiring, to say the least, they give me hope that there are causes worth living for, things larger than myself, such as the crazy idea that water is not a commodity, but an energy, a life-force, a blessing.

this is what makes me alive: to fight the good fight. i have decided nothing is more important than living a life that appreciates the natural beauty and wonder of our earth, and defends it as a precious gift... my mission, my inspiration is to fight for life, my life, and the life of many more humans, plants, and animals that are to come.

there are two realizations that i have recently experienced that make me more determined than ever  to fight this 'good fight':
1. recognizing that we, as humans, are just a moment in time, a passing phase of life on earth. we are impermanent beings, and compared to the timeless treasures that are our earth's resources, we humans are the disposable ones. water is not disposable, air is not disposable, land is not disposable, biota and ecosystems are not disposable.
2. recognizing this, we must have a reckoning as a society over what our small stamp on the earth's story of life really means. will we be the ones who threw it all away? who discounted the immense blessing of life on earth? who carelessly pursued our own interests and expedited our own, unnatural, ending?

so, today, in solidarity with the trillions of years of life on earth, i ask you all to look inside you and realize your finiteness, your impermanence, and your place in the crazy wonder that is earth. one day a year isn't really enough to understand this, so perhaps take tomorrow too... or the next day. i recommend that you take your lifetime to appreciate our earth's immense beauty and blessings, its probably the most worthwhile thing you'll ever do.

subtle southwest sunset: a time where daily, i appreciate the wonders of earth