As so many of your essays do, this one deserved reading through twice. And i might come back to it again. I also spend a lot of time wrestling with my privilege and the many ways in which I compromise what I say I care about (the Earth! climate change!) from the moment I get out of bed each day. For me the difference is those who are con…
As so many of your essays do, this one deserved reading through twice. And i might come back to it again. I also spend a lot of time wrestling with my privilege and the many ways in which I compromise what I say I care about (the Earth! climate change!) from the moment I get out of bed each day. For me the difference is those who are conscious and it hurts (you!) versus those who if they are aware, or have it pointed out, feel no remorse because they are somehow entitled to whatever it is - and it is really tough when the whatever is a beautiful wilderness experience that now requires a level of wealth and expenditure of resources to enjoy.
For me also the antidote - not an antidote offsetting or justifying, just what keeps me putting myself out there to take care of the people places and ideas I care about for one more day - is presence and gratitude. For the mynah bird that spoke to me loudly from the rack on my housemateʻs Kia this morning, for the avocado gifted to me by the wind and my third avocado tree while I walked my dog this morning, for the multiple Saturday emails and comments and texts and calls reminding me of the commitment of my precious community to love and take care of each other.
I had not even thought of that reference, but yes thatʻs exactly what it was. And significantly sitting on the car of my housemate, who is a Native Hawaiian teacher and cultural practitioner.
As so many of your essays do, this one deserved reading through twice. And i might come back to it again. I also spend a lot of time wrestling with my privilege and the many ways in which I compromise what I say I care about (the Earth! climate change!) from the moment I get out of bed each day. For me the difference is those who are conscious and it hurts (you!) versus those who if they are aware, or have it pointed out, feel no remorse because they are somehow entitled to whatever it is - and it is really tough when the whatever is a beautiful wilderness experience that now requires a level of wealth and expenditure of resources to enjoy.
For me also the antidote - not an antidote offsetting or justifying, just what keeps me putting myself out there to take care of the people places and ideas I care about for one more day - is presence and gratitude. For the mynah bird that spoke to me loudly from the rack on my housemateʻs Kia this morning, for the avocado gifted to me by the wind and my third avocado tree while I walked my dog this morning, for the multiple Saturday emails and comments and texts and calls reminding me of the commitment of my precious community to love and take care of each other.
Mahalo for continuing to share on this platform.
And what did the mynah bird say? I recall their constant refrain, "Attention!", in Aldous Huxley's novel Island ;-)
Lately my gift while walking at sunrise with my dog has been a handful of Rainier cherries fresh from the tree. Abundance for the birds and me.
Presence and gratitude <3
I had not even thought of that reference, but yes thatʻs exactly what it was. And significantly sitting on the car of my housemate, who is a Native Hawaiian teacher and cultural practitioner.
Yummy those cherries!