Hi everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all safe and warm and enjoying life. (But if you’re not, and want/need to talk, I’m here with a listening ear for you.)
Speaking of listening … For the past few weeks, I’ve been taking a bunch of classes and webinars, including the Transformative Adventures Permaculture Design Certificate course, and also this week a conference called The Nature of Cities Festival, which is all about retrofitting our cities to be “biophilic.” Loving nature; integrated with nature.
Plus an 8-part weekly series called “Local Motive Tour” from Strong Towns (a grassroots urban-revitalization movement that I feel is very aligned with permaculture principles); and a class via EDX called “CitiesX: The Past, Present, and Future of Urban Life.”
And webinars from my local native plant society, and webinars from 1000 Friends of Florida … And … And …
In short, a big fat supercharged education bonanza!! (much of it free; all of it a high-quality investment).
It’s all very beautiful and powerful stuff, and all pointing in the same directions. Cross-disciplinary collaboration; grassroots empowerment. Making peace with nature, working in partnership with nature, respecting all species.
I feel inspired and comforted of course, knowing how many more people are “on the same page” in a very deep and organized and professional way than I realized.
But along with these feelings, I’m also experiencing a mixture of other feelings. Data dump overload (pretty natural under the circumstances). Deep sadness (for the planet? for what’s been lost already?). Regret (for not being able to do more even now? for all the years I did not think to do more, while all these other people were already so fully engaged?). Frustration (for having limited bandwidth, even for lectures on topics that I love, live, and breathe). And a mix of other shades of emotion.
I’m not posting this to whine though. I’m very grateful to be able to contribute anything to helping Mother Earth and all of her creatures. I’m all about moving forward and doing the best right now with what I have right now. I just felt like sharing the complete picture of my “inner landscape” in case some of you might be having similar thoughts and feelings. And if you are, I want you to extend kindness and understanding to yourself.
We are here right now. We are connected. And healing ourselves is definitely an essential piece of the puzzle. And that takes a certain amount of bandwidth.
Permaculture has helped me on my healing path. AND, also, I consider my ongoing path of healing (healing myself, and helping others heal) to be an essential part of my permaculture practice.
Thank you all for being here and for listening.
Oh, and on the physical landscape, I have been adding new plant babies to my yard (mostly natives, to feed the pollinators and other wildlife).
And, in other permaculture landscape news, I cut my hair today (I do that 2-3 times a year, leaning my head directly over one of the mulch piles or compost zones in my micro urban yard). When my hair gets long enough that it might need a comb or brush (neither of which I own anymore), is when I know it’s time to cut it!! (My other key haircutting cue is when the Florida summer heat starts to kick in bigtime, but that won’t be til May or so.)
What the heck does cutting my hair have to do with permaculture?!?! Well, it falls under self-care. Also, for me, it’s an act of self-reliance and personal aesthetic sovereignty. That might sound goofy and heavy. But in the past, various people have tried to exercise control over my hair and other aspects of my appearance. Even strangers have tried, as if they felt they had some right to me looking how THEY wanted — as if I were furniture in their universe, just there for decor. There was no need for me to go along with that. It doesn’t help anyone!
Today I laughed as it occurred to me that it has taken me til almost age 60 to de-colonize my own hair.
By the way, I know a lot of really nice hair salons, nail salons, makeup places, etc., that are run by good people. And I enjoy sharing my friends’ delight when they go get a new hairstyle, makeup, nails. I just personally happen to be into the DIY hair and low-maintenance looks for the past few years. And I think everyone should be free to do their own thing looks-wise.
And I enjoy being able to compost my hair cuttings! (I do love wearing huge huge earrings and necklaces though, even tho i am not thusly adorned in the pic.)
Hope you all are having a good day. Virtual Deep-Green Hugs to you!
P.S. Earlier this week I wrote a post “When it’s warmer outside than in.” My current super-mega-download of eco education and inspiration is definitely an example of that happening to me! The green professional world outside my usual familiar terrain is very hot! Fizzing and popping!! I also wrote a post “Moving the Needle.” And today it occurred to me that my mega-booster-shot of education currently in progress is moving the needle inside my own mind. Which of course increases my capacity to move the needle out in the world. I hope you are finding ways to do the same!
P.P.S. If you want to see my haircut (for those of you who have met me, it’s just my usual “short” mode), you can visit this post on my Deep Green page on Facebook.