Earth Day 2022
Surely every day is Earth Day but maybe that’s the problem with our lives today, we are so disconnected from the earth, the soil beneath our feet. Physically we live and work in the built environment that often seems hostile to the natural world, offices with sealed windows and pumped with ‘air freshener’ for example. This Earth Day, why not connect for a moment, and try one of these simple techniques.
Go outside for a minute this morning and take notice of the world around you, the micro and the macro view. If you explore one leaf, on the simplest of plants you may find a hive of activity, ladybirds and insects sunbathing on leaves. The ladybirds that will feed off the aphid larvae that you notice, which will in turn support the rose to bloom, which will provide you with the pleasure of the rose’s flowers and scent. Reflecting on these small wonders strengthens our connectivity with nature and makes us feel more grounded.
Our minds are often focused on the doing of life, whether that is looking after children, the demands of work or caring for people. As some say we are human beings not human doings, so try and take a moment today to stop and enjoy nature. Why not find a grassy spot and take your shoes and socks off and feel the warmth of the Earth beneath your feet. This brings back childhood memories of playing barefoot in the grass amongst the daisies.
Taking this moment to connect with ourselves and the Earth leads me to recall the famous words from the classic 80’s film Ferris ‘Buellers Day Off’. To justify ‘bunking’ off college he says, “Life moves pretty fast if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you may miss it”. This sense of disconnect is echoed again from a more distant past, by the Welsh poet W.H Davies, in his poem ‘Leisure’ where he coined the phrase, “What is this life if full of care, We have not time to stop and stare”. Something for us all to reconnect with on this Earth Day.
Claire Harris
Leisure (1911)
W.H. Davies
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?-
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.