Reset

Mother Nature has put our collective ass on pause.
We weren’t listening when she grumbled and huffed at our disrespect over the past decade. We rallied for a moment after the earthquake in Haiti and reached out as one with a helping hand, but the island was dropped from the news cycle long before any real recovery was established (and the country still struggles). Even when we made Mother ‘come back there’ with a double whammy earthquake and tsunami in Japan the following year, did we learn? We dried our tears and went back to our antics. New Yorkers suffered through Sandy then adapted to the new business as usual. Like children on an overrun playground we got still when someone else was getting into trouble believing a momentary pause would avoid having her wrath directed at us. We watched China get a time out in 2014, then Nepal the next year and then Ecuador the following. Earthquakes and hurricanes became routine discipline. We bickered and pointed fingers turning everything into politics. We didn’t pay attention when it was clear she had started counting to ten. She sent Maria to warn us via the Caribbean. We watched as entire islands were deserted and left to the lashings of wind and rain. We watched again when she raged through Greece, the Amazon and finally Australia, until she was spent. But we just couldn’t correct our behavior. So she went global on us.

I am not standing on a soap box here, I’m as complicit as the next person. And we’re all complicit. And a lot of us are also trying to be better. I try. I vote with my dollars, influence with purchase, and use my political voice more than every four years. But I’m too busy to be as conscientious as I’d like and sometimes convenience trumps the greater good. I used to think if only I could slow down the hamster wheel I could make some adjustments and balance things. And now here we are at a standstill. I know our attention shifts when we are accountable to others so I’m publishing my reset vow.

While I’m sheltering in place, I’m catching up on sleep and finding a new workout routine. I’m going to deepen my yoga practice and finally do the splits. Yes I’ll post proof. I’m striving to treat my body and mind the way I’d like to see the earth and others treated. I don’t want to take anything or anyone for granted.
I’m keeping informed and focused. How we come out of this determines our future. Will we have more humanity on display or will corporations still be the alpha ‘person’ at the table? I’m writing my reps to tell them what I need. We need to protect the planet. We need to protect the workers; minimum wage should be a living wage. Maybe we appreciate that more after weeks of depending on the essential workers stocking and delivering our food, supplies, and medicine. Doctors get their due by virtue of their title but all our health care workers and caregivers need to be elevated in recognition. And even though the public school system north and south of the border is broken we need to find a way to raise the status of the teachers on the front lines. I’ll probably add some more things to do as the time stretches on but this is my vow for now. What about you?