Earth, Us

It's Earth Day!

Despite the fact that Mother Nature seems intent on keeping winter going in Minnesota until May, I still love her. In honor of Earth Day 2011 I thought I'd round up some salient articles that I hope will make us all more aware, concerned, and involved in protecting this precious resource that is our home.

Canada, which occupies some stunning bits of the planet, has compiled this Earth Day assessment.

The Huffington Post has rounded up 9 Earthly books you should read. On this list is The World Without Us - a book I love!

The Wilderness Society offers links to volunteer opportunities.

As a person who loves the wilderness, and wolves in particular, on this Earth Day I want to raise awareness about Predator Defense. Often villainized and mischaracterized predators are an essential part of ecology and deserve our respect and protection from exploitation and the ever-present threat of extermination. This topic is especially worrying given that Congress has voted to de-list wolves from their endangered status.

Earth Day should make us sit up and pay attention to the crises that threaten our fragile planet, but don't think about the environment today and take it for granted tomorrow. We are not guests here, we are made of and sustained by this planet. To abuse, poison, and destroy the earth is to rend our own flesh and break our own bones.Today is just the starting line but the race - upon which our lives depend - is only beginning.

Back To School

First day of the spring semester has arrived, though given that this past week we've been living in sub-zero weather it hardly feels right to call it the spring semester.

As much as scheduling can get hairy when I'm doing two full-time jobs (writing and teaching), I'm looking forward to seeing my colleagues and students. Writing is a solitary endeavor, and as much as I'm an introvert who prefers being alone, it can be too easy to forget about the rest of the world. Teaching keeps me connected to people and ideas and for that I'm deeply grateful. While it's wonderful to be lost in a world of my own creation, it's also vital to remember that the stories are written to invite others in and share the journey.

Here's a song to get the semester started off right:

Resolved!

It's the first Monday in January, which makes me want to run around shrieking and pulling at my hair. Why? Because now all that "I don't really have to get anything done - it's the holidays!" mantra has vanished and reality has come crashing through the door.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I'm approaching the 'real' New Year with excitement and trepidation. I see lots of good things on the horizon, but I'm also wary of the plate spinning I'll be doing to balance writing, teaching, and life.

That's where my 2011 resolution comes in, I'm talking about the big one here. There are also little ones about exercise and meditation, etc. but the big one is this:

I resolve to work with passion and then let it go.

2010 was an amazing year, but it also involved a lot of hand-wringing on my part. Too many questions, all of the what if followed by a negative thought variety, kept me from savoring the journey as much as I could have.

In 2011 I'm working hard to focus on doing what I love and letting the universe do what it will what that effort. I want to spend less time on self-doubt and anxiety and more time observing the joys that grace my life and being thankful for them.

Given that I'm an intensely self-critical, quasi-obsessive perfectionist this will not be an easy task. And yet, I am resolved!!

What are your resolutions for the New Year?