Here we are at the Ides of March, but, unlike Shakespeare’s famous soothsayer, I’m not issuing any dire warnings. On the contrary, it’s a beautiful, sunny spring day around here, with the promise of more beautiful days ahead.
Unfortunately, the beauty of spring was not at the top of my mind while walking my dog this morning. On our walks I usually pick up small pieces of trash, especially plastic, as a small contribution toward keeping it out of our waterways and from harming wildlife. (This habit got me into a bit of an embarrassing situation last summer when I picked up a lancet used to test blood sugar and accidentally pricked my finger with it. I was subsequently subjected to a couple of rounds of humiliating blood tests to make sure I hadn’t contracted anything. Trust me, I’m now even more careful in my pickings.) This morning I was particularly disheartened as I picked up three aluminum cans and a couple of plastic bottles. I live in a very nice neighborhood, with some gorgeous natural areas and lots of trees. It’s so depressing to see people treat parts of it like a dump.
When I was a kid and people said they were going to throw something away, I often wondered where “away” was. This was brought home to me when I once accompanied my daddy to the “dump”—the county landfill—when I was about seven or eight years old. As I looked out over the mounds of debris, bulldozers working to cover the evidence of our overconsumption with dirt, I remember thinking, “Thousands of years of civilization, and this is the best we’ve come up with?” So, it’s not like we’ve got a great solution for our garbage, but throwing it out a car door without trying to properly recycle it or at least putting it in a trash can is heinous.
How do I not let this become overwhelmingly depressing? In the moment, I refocus my thoughts on the beauty of the day. (Having a sweet, furry companion who knows how to live in the moment is also recommended!) To specifically address the plastic-pollution issue, I also try to be mindful every day of what and how much I consume and find ways to let producers know we want them to use more sustainable packaging in the first place. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to take a walk and not have to pick up even one tiny piece of plastic.
I realize this is a writing/author blog, but I do like to touch on other things that are important to me—like wildlife conservation, animal welfare, and protecting the natural world. I also include these topics in my books in various ways.
Speaking of my books, in my last post I noted that I hadn’t made much progress on Book 3 in the Secrets of Edgemont series. I wasn’t feeling great about that, but I have now accepted the fact that I simply needed a break between the release of the last one and diving into the third one. That acceptance allowed me to relax and let myself get excited about the trilogy again. Just this week I fleshed out the plot summary a little further, and now I’m diving into the manuscript and looking forward to another fun, wild ride that takes me to more unexpected places.
May your days be filled with light and joy and hope for a more sustainable future!
Take care!