I want to go to that place where the earth is shared with small animals, a place where the trees, and the meadows are left to grow, a place where the seasons are as they should be, and the landscape is not hidden by hundreds of rooftops, peddling billboards and “Made in China” filled shops. Instead, there would be chimneys sparsely scattered, puffing small clouds of gray smoke against the cerulean winter sky, squirrels scurrying, gathering food for winter, geese taking flight for warmer homes, deer, and foxes roaming, hunting for winter food and shelter, and finding it, and there would be yards becoming meadows with colorful flora for the bees and health-giving kitchen gardens for the families that live there.
It is a place that once was, but now, is vanishing. The woodlands are threatened and with them go the habitats of small animals and birds and strange, but necessary, insects and flora. I have lived 68 years and within that very small bit of time, I have watched this happen. I, too, am a contributor, an over consumer, as I try to understand and wonder how this will “end”…how can we continue to take so much from Nature and not have consequence?
I know these words I write and feelings I have are somewhat illusory, but perhaps these intense thoughts might make a tiny difference, perhaps someone reading these simple words will begin growing winter greens in an oversized pot or perhaps someone will plant an orange tree or scatter birdseed or become more aware of purchases, perhaps someone’s “footprint” will shrink just a bit, perhaps we can all do a little to help a lot.