Fighting Days.

It’d been in conflict with my kindly partner for days. He’d had enough yet I was stuck on a loop. Having been involved with the Environmental Movement for decades and seeing the very survival of humanity become less and less likely long term, I had things to say about the situation. Unfortunately none of those things made any difference to humanity’s dilemma yet they did influence the happiness in our relationship..for the worse. Now it’s not that he never repeated frustrating and insoluble issues either. In fact we both learned to let go of what we seemingly most wanted yet was most likely unattainable. For us it took fighting for days and reaching a point of exhaustion which enabled letting go. I’ve  always been one to say when offered the option of letting go “ Well, what would have happened to the vote for women, the end of slavery and etc.. if we all just let go?” It’s definitely not about not caring , rather about caring intensely about matters way beyond reach. I could blame it on my being an Aquarius or an Idealist but really so much of what we do is likely habit. I hope I can help you without having to go through the same painful process, but well, if you do have to fight first that’s okay too.

Practice makes Practice.

In a yoga class I used to attend the teacher would say “ Practice makes practice. “. I liked the saying since it points out that striving for perfection is beside the point. The expression also works for anything we keep doing again and again. It becomes our practice or our habit. We don’t always acknowledge that we have a choice in the matter and can get to a place where we’ve surrounded ourselves with people who encourage us to continue even if what we’re doing has become ineffective. For example my partner has an acceptance of the likelihood of us humans going extinct. He simply says he’s known it since he was a kid and learned about animals going extinct in the early Seventies. I guess I’ve had more wishful thinking in that area though not as much as climate deniers. I now acknowledge I need to practice acceptance for my own and my family’s mental health.

Disclaimer.

If I was a teen, or in my twenties, or thirties even, I wouldn’t be ready to let this one go. And I think the area of Conservation and Environmental Protection generally needs impassioned young people with everything to gain by putting all of their brainpower and voting behind the chance of a decent future. Life is never “ fair” yet I so want them to be able to have fulfilling, healthy lives. I just can’t keep pounding my own head against a concrete wall. So I guess this piece is for people, like myself, who’ve put lots of energy into the cause and are now straight up tired out. There’s a saying, “If you’re tired rest, don’t quit”..yet I’ve had so much more peace since my initially less than willing surrender. I don’t want to grow old spouting rhetoric while the world burns. I think, at this age, I’ll need my energy to do all I can to adapt. I recognize I’m one of the lucky ones, who at least to a degree can likely flee the worst.I feel sad for those who cannot. Again, an unfair world for sure.

Vote like Our Life Depends on it.

I see a younger generation coming of age into Climate Crisis. My aim is certainly not to discourage them. Rather I hope they organize new ways, new leadership and ways of living that respect our very real limits. I’ve seen my daughters generation ( Millennials, often maligned) as being truly wise around supporting each other emotionally and can imagine them putting that community spirit to use with a view to practical resilience. Bring on the wise young people, not because we deserve their work to make things better but because they do.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Rereading this piece I can see that it’s not just the climate I can do with letting go of in terms of outcome. We’re funny creatures. We like to think that if we just find the right thing to say or do we can change things that are likely beyond us..Sometimes though while trying we can meet people we like a lot and form community..and who knows if after all “ a small group of committed people” can’t change the world for the better, even if it’s to pick up garbage, drive people to vote, build a trail or etc. Here’s to us. Here’s to trying within the realm of the possible and letting that be enough.