It was quiet while I walked backed from the clothesline to my house, stopping to gather a few eggs and check on the progress of my hard-hit citrus trees before I came inside. I am happy when I walk through these moments, moments that are gifts from Nature. The morning birds are, once again, calling for one another as the sun rises and the moon sets… and I am, thankfully, in the midst of it
I contrast this scene with the recent time I spent in a nearby city. I had to go there for organic blueberries they sell in a big box store. I question going, but sometimes I just do, sometimes I have to jump in. On the ride there, I saw where there was once pastures and meadows and small farmhouses that belonged to families, families that planted gardens and trees and raised farm animals and children. Now, there is concrete, and stores filled with everything our modern society ‘needs’. I understand, I suppose. I know we require more to maneuver through this life, and we certainly want more, but I can’t help but think of the cost and feel a suggestion of guilt.
Where do the small animals go when heavy equipment moves in and destroys their habitat without warning and consideration? Where do the thousands of tiny insects and aquatic life flee when the cypress trees are ripped from the ponds and the ponds are then filled in with dirt, dirt that serves as a foundation for more and more concrete? It is all confusing to me…not long ago, this that I describe were fields and pastures and natural habitats that balanced the commercialism of nearby cities. Now, it seems that balance is tilting, and the wildlife and fauna have fewer and fewer places to go.
I suppose this is somewhat of a rant, and I apologize, for there is more ranting than any of us need these days. Mostly, this outpouring, this spewing of words serves as a clear message and needed reminder to me.
Perhaps I seem over dramatic; I know there are still places that offer a 'balance’, but I just wonder how much more ‘stuff’ we will need…