Dear Mother Earth,
I want to say I am sorry. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to just chew us up and spit us out. We’ve not been very good to you. We are the biggest squatters—we don’t pay our rent or do our part for the health of you. We take all your resources and we fail to notice the impact of our actions.
Your rivers are drying up. Your trees are being violently burned and cut down. Your gorgeous trees can’t keep the air filtered and clean anymore because we dump so many pollutants into it every day. Your oceans are trashed with endless plastic and debris. Your soil is depleted. Your animals are getting sick. And now they are getting us sick.
We did this to ourselves. We have not paid attention and listened to your warnings. We have refused to see ourselves as part of an interdependent natural and human ecosystem. This is the only way you could get a break—force us to take one. All of us.
And look how fast your healing is happening without all our irresponsible behavior putting you at risk. Look what is possible when we take a break from our hustle and abusive behavior, when we slow down, pause and rest.
I love you and I am so grateful for your fierce beauty and power.
Your daughter,
Amy Jo
The truth is that we all created this moment. We have not done our part to save our world and so the world is saving itself. Mother nature will always win. She will only be disrespected so long.
It’s not even odd that this is happening as women are rising up, and saying “Enough!” We will not accept abuse any longer. We will not stand for the way we have been treated. Mother nature is a reflection of us.
Right now we have a choice: We get to take some time to look at ourselves—really look at our behavior, beliefs and contribution or derailment of what is good and needed for our whole world—not an elite few—to thrive. Or we can fixate on our devices and check out, thinking of this as if it’s a waiting game, waiting for someone else to do the work, waiting for life to go back to “normal” except that there was nothing particularly normal about what we were doing before. Or dropping in despair.
Never in human history has the entire world been focused on one common problem and seeking a solution together. Never have we been globalized and connected so that we would be affected and acting in solidarity to address a common threat. This is a magnificent, unique moment of unity.
We can no longer pretend we are rugged individuals who climb to the top on our own, with our sheer grit and focus. We are—and always were—a diverse and interdependent human ecosystem, which means we rely on each other. All our parts need to thrive for the whole to thrive. When one part is sick, the other parts contribute the nutrients to make it well again.
In this time, what will you contribute? Because this is not a waiting game. Life is now. And this will be our lives for the foreseeable future. We ALL have something to contribute to make the world better. We cannot tap out right now.
How can you contribute to a better world for us all:
- Create art, music, beauty, joy, love.
- Donate your time and/or money to powerful causes to help us heal, feed people and get people well.
- DO YOUR WORK. Look at yourself. Examine how you have been living and what is no longer acceptable. Make changes. NOW.
- Envision who you want to be and how you want to live and start NOW.
- Develop your relationships. Practice better communication—you’re gonna’ need it big time.
- Listen more than you speak. Be curious and open.
- Drop your defenses and your need to be right. It really doesn’t matter.
- Phone someone who needs support, a friendly voice or to know they are loved.
- Meditate. Connect with your inner self, the self that has been tugging at you to pay more attention. Connect to your higher power.
- Be generous. Be patient. Be kind. Be real. Be loving. First and foremost to yourself, and then, to others.
- Share. Don’t hoard.
- Support artists, gig workers, restaurant workers and others who have been laid off with food and money donations. It could be life-saving for many people. Check out Patreon and Go Fund Me for endless people and causes to support.
- Do your part. Cocoon until it’s safe not to. Be committed to not spreading this virus, and not putting anyone else at risk.
This is an exciting opportunity for us to listen to our greatness and choose to partner with it. It is imperative that we be the absolute BEST version of ourselves right now. We cannot succumb to hopelessness, despair, hate or desperation. We get to survive and thrive and bring everyone else with us.
If you have a bad day, sad day, difficult moment, that’s okay. Just don’t get stuck there. Get back up and give something to someone else. You are a part of this.
Every weekday right now I am hosting The Human Love Cocoon at Noon PDT/3 pm EDT. Please join us for community, to be together, to learn and grow, to share. Different guests and activities each day. I am so grateful I have online tools and a beautiful community right now. I invite you to up your engagement and join us any day of the week.