Earth Day is Sunday April 22. I am honored that this day, which is my birthday, was chosen as the day to celebrate Earth’s natural environment. Since I was little I have been fascinated by nature and the miracles it brings.
Our family was fortunate enough to live near open space and my brother and I would spend weekends hiking through the local mountains, catching snakes (and letting them go), observing coyotes, rabbits, horny toads, quail, hawks and an occasional deer. We enjoyed the seasonal aspects of the plants, new grass, abundant flowers in the spring, new growth on trees, the drying and browning over the summer months, the further contracting in the fall and finally the cycle beginning to start over in winter (remember this was Southern California and our vegetation turns green in winter). I developed a deep respect for nature in general, and specifically for the complexity of the eco-systems and how humans make an impact through our daily activities.
In the early 1960’s Los Angeles had one of the highest smog issues in the country and you could see and feel the thick brown blanket laying over the valleys. This was just one of my many observations as to how we (humans) can negatively affect our environment.
Now, I personally try to lessen my impact on Nature. I recycle, compost my garden with a red worm compost bin, vote with my dollar and do not buy highly-packaged products (I buy larger packages instead of convenience sizes, or bags rather than plastic containers). I have a supply of reusable grocery bags, drive a 45 MPG diesel Jetta, and try on a daily basis to do the right thing for the environment.
That brings me back to living in the present moment. (As an aside, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift; that is why it is called the present”. – Bill Keane). Being in the present is a huge stress-reducer as we no longer worry about what has happened or what is going to happen but only focus on what is happening now. If we could avoid the “what if” syndrome and only worry about “what is”, we would save ourselves so much time, energy and stress (and you may or may not know, that I’m all about reducing stress whenever possible).
So on this Earth Day I would invite you to focus on the day, and on Nature. We have had beautiful weather around the country already this year, so take time to enjoy the gifts of the Earth: admire the flowers, the green grass, the songs of the birds or the warm sunshine. And maybe on this one day, try to really stay in tune with Earth, take an all-day hike, plant a tree or a pot of flowers, or just sit back, relax and be happy. I wish for all of you a very special and enjoyable Earth Day.
Yours in health,
Dr. Linda Miles, L. Ac., D.O.M.
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