I live in an old-school bungalow house on a street that dead-ends smack-dab on the sands of the Atlantic Ocean. That view of blank sky at the end of my street never ceases to make me smile.
Growing up in a Navy family, I generally lived NEAR beaches. But all my life I knew I wanted to live within walking distance of the ocean someday. Now I do, in my ideal walkable historic neighborhood in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA, with small lot sizes, neighbors who know each other and look out for each other, and lots of foot traffic. The Halifax River, five minutes’ walk in the other direction, is the icing on the cake. I never get tired of the moonrise over the ocean and moonset over the river. And sunset skies here are epic.
Even a plain old walk to the drugstore, or Natural Concepts Revisited LLC organic food store, or Sweet Marlays’ Coffee, or Cinematique Theater, or City Island Farmers Market & the public library, is epically beautiful.
Of all the many places I’ve ever lived, this place above all has shown me that the environment, the economy, and the wellbeing of everyday people are intertwined.
Earth Day cheer for Cinematique, for being an indie theater that shows lots of films related to the environment and social equity.
Just an Earth Day tribute to my home #WhyILoveMyPlace
The usual in-person Earth Day events are cancelled this year because of the pandemic. But I am very much looking forward to the online Earth Day 2020, at www.earthday.org
The theme for Earth Day 2020 is “Climate Action.” The first Earth Day was in 1970, so this year is the fiftieth anniversary.
The organizers have all sorts of offerings on tap, from teach-ins to suggested actions. Enjoy! And wherever you are, I hope you get a chance to enjoy the natural environment of your place, be it by taking a walk, going out on your balcony or roof, or even just looking out your window at a favorite view.
We can all be Stay-At-Home Moms for Mother Earth! No matter how distracted we get in the frenzy of modern life, we can at any time plug back in to our sense of wonder just by tuning our attention to any bit of nature that’s around us. Earlier I zeroed in on the breathtakingly intricate beauty of a tiny flower growing in a crack in the sidewalk; right now I’m experiencing renewed wonder at the mix of bird-songs that floats through my open windows. By reconnecting with my sense of wonder many times a day, I remind myself of what really matters, what’s at stake, and why I work to protect it for present and future generations.
More: Always wanted to partake of the treasure trove of New York City’s museums and other repositories of knowledge, but haven’t gotten around to making the trip? Today you can enjoy a multitude of Earth Day offerings from several of the Big Apple’s greatest institutions. (Thanks New York Times for this article).
And finally, I made some Earth Day Facebook Live vids for you. Hello/Intro, Part 1, and Part 2.