My son who is in the first grade has been studying about Earth Day for the past week and one of his class assignments for bonus credit (if he chose to accept the mission) was to write a letter to his school’s Superintendent and Director about climate change. I have attached a copy of it for you to read; however, the Cliff notes version is this: “I feel sad because we are all polluting. We must be more kind to our planet.” and that folks is straight out of the mouth of babes.
The interesting thing about this is that with the way the world is right now, I cannot think of a nicer gift for our planet – rest, respite and rejuvenation.
Keep in mind, the planet demanded it.
And not just of us here in the United States, but the whole world.
We ALL had to stop. Shelter in place. Be safe. Be still. Go within.
And in the silence, we heard the faint whispering of Earth’s spirit.
We heard the hushed voice saying, “I asked you nicely to pay attention. I am in pain. I am suffering. Yet, you did not listen. You ignored my pleas. So now I have no choice but to speak loudly.’
And in the rustling of the trees, and at the top of peaks, all that was heard was “remember”.
And many of us heard this murmur.
It made us realize that the most important thing we need to do was to be kind.
We need to be kind to ourselves, to each other, and to the planet.
As a result, our oceans are cleaner because we are generating less pollution.
Dolphins have been spotted swimming in channels in Venice, Italy – a sight that has been absent for a long time.
Air is cleaner in many cities around the world.
So I beg of you, please listen to the Earth’s whispers.
And I ask of you, what is one thing you are willing to do for Earth Day?
Remember, whatever you choose to do to honor your heart, body and soul also honors our planet Earth because we are all connected.
As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Cheers,
Maya