Mother Nature: Caring For Your Home

Home is a place all humans have some version of. Whether you own your home, rent your home, or are on the road. Home can be any place you make it.  What is home and connects all living things is planet Earth. 

Since I was a child, I wanted to be a superhero for the planet. I’ve been a classic tree hugger through and through. I’ve embodied this passion my entire life, putting time, energy, and intention into everything I do. I have been reflecting this past Earth Month on lessons I’ve learned from Mother Nature and have broken them down into 3 I’d love to share with all of you.  

Those 3 things are… 

• Be Kind

Be kind to yourself, other humans, other living things, and the planet. Be kind to yourself because your physical mind and body is worth taking the time to care for. Without it, your soul would be lost. Take care of the place where your soul lives and thrives by talking nicely to yourself, feeding your body good food & drinks, getting plenty of rest, and living life to the fullest.

Be kind to other humans, animals, bugs, and plants. We all share this planet together, so be kind without anything in return. Be kind because you want to help your friend, family, neighbor, or stranger. Eat less meat because animals deserve life, too. Treat your ecosystem with kindness and respect because every living thing has a function, from the dirt, grass, trees, animals, insects, and microorganisms. 

Be kind to the planet. There are so many small ways to do this, and the classic examples are the 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot (aka compost). These things can be done in your everyday life. Driving less to walking, biking, and taking the bus more. Be intentional with your consumption of energy, food, water, and especially, material things. The more intentional I’ve been in my consumption, the more I appreciate and feel grateful for what I have. Another way to be kind to the planet is to fight for it! Not physically, but be active in your community, peacefully protest for the Earth, volunteer your time, or join groups! 

Throughout my life, I can’t tell you how many times people told me that being kind to the planet “didn’t matter.” Whether it was because of the billionaires on their big jet planes, the fact that most materials aren’t even recycled anyway, or how bad people are tearing down the rainforest anyway, so “nothing matters.”  No matter how many times I heard those things, I never let those thoughts get my way because it does, in fact,matter!  No matter how small, every small change together makes a big impact. Just think if hundreds of people also made small changes, how much it would add up!

Every small action matters, putting kindness out into the world. So be kind!

• Observe the Magic

This is a hard one for a lot of people because we live in such a fast-paced world where we fill the void with constant doing, moving, and going. Our phones and other devices can be addictive and something we should have boundaries with because there is SO much more magic going on in life around us, we should be observing! (Because what’s the point of living if we’re on autopilot anyways?)

Florence Giving says it best in her podcast titled, The Art of Lingering.Everything she says, I 100% agree with and want to quote her. She states, “The longer you linger, the deeper the magic.” How beautiful and true! Stop for a moment to do nothing and stare at the world around you. I talked about this in my last diary using the 5 senses. What do you see around you? What do you smell? What do you feel? The longer you stop to simply observe opens up a world of energy and life going on around you! It not only helps you process your day but takes in every moment of life, so it’s not just whooshing on by! Have you ever thought, “Dang, life is moving so fast I feel like I’m missing out?” Fucking observe the magic of life more by lingering your eyeballs on what you’re actually doing or while doing nothing! The more you take the time to observe and relish in life’s moments, the more you take in, the more you appreciate and live life. Put down that book, take out those headphones, shut that laptop, and lock your phone for just a few minutes, and I promise you will find magic in your life’s little moments. 

For example, food is something I never take for granted, so I eat without my phone the entire time to just appreciate what I’m eating and enjoy the moment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been taking my first bite of food at home, a restaurant, or cafe and just giving out loud, “MMMmmmmm!” to myself just relishing in the simplicity of eating something so delicious!  My body is like, “Yes, girl! More of this!” and I love that feeling of feeding my body and giving it nutrients. This makes me feel super present in the moment and enjoy it even more! 

One of my favorite things about going to a cafe, walking in the park, or going out in public is to observe people, trees, the sky, anything I can linger my eyeballs on for a while. I think about the colors, the shapes, the sounds, the smells, I’ll even touch the tree leaves hanging above as I walk by to give them a little high-five.  And it makes me SO happy because I am in the moment, taking in life and the little magic moments. Another big and important part of finding these magical moments is the magic itself that comes from observing. I’ve thought of SO many creative thoughts and ideas while simply staring off into space. And I promise, you all will find something magical if you just take a few seconds, a minute, or an hour out of your day to simply observe the magic of life!

• Connection is Key

Connection with the world around, the people, places, and all living things is the key to living. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, “love & belonging,” aka human identity and connection to others, is a huge need of ours. We live in a world today where people are so distracted and in their own worlds, and feel so alone. Big corporations don’t invent “cool” phones, devices, AI, or things to inherently help humanity live better everyday lives. They invent and sell things for profit to fill their own pockets. They design these things to keep our attention and not look away, so we can buy, give our information, and sell it. These technological things are important to enhance society, work, create, and function in today’s world, but we must have boundaries with these things by using them for good, not as a distraction from living.

I love spending time with my pets, friends, family, and those in my community when I can. I go out of my way to make time for it because I value my connections with each and every one of them. And again, when spending time with people, especially people I don’t see often, I hardly get on my phone because I want to enjoy every single moment with them.  I make sure I’m giving enough time, attention, and love to those in my life who love me and support me. 

What’s even more bold is saying something kind to strangers to connect with them. I love telling someone how cute their outfit, hair, tattoos are, or even saying, “Hello!” and smiling! You never know how much your connection with them could spark joy in them and make their day. It most importantly sparks joy in my own heart when I uniquely connect with others.  Sometimes I’ll even make a new friend from it!  But of course, use your own discretion & intuitive when talking to random strangers. The more you feel into your own energy and the moment the more you can pick up energy from others.

One of the most important things I ever did when moving to a new state was join groups. I joined Sunrise Nashville, a youth climate activist group and later joined TWIG (Tennessee Women in Green) and am still part of TWIG today through my full-time job. It’s made me feel less alone being around people who care about a cause as much as I do. So many times I’ve gone to environmental groups and events and have thought, “Wow! Other people care just as much as me!” Connection is key. 

In conclusion

I hope these lessons Mother Nature taught me help you all feel a little inspired to care more for your home. I get excited in my everyday life on this planet, the more I practice these 3 things. It’s helped spark creative ideas, make new friends, love myself more, and log even more memories that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Remember, you are worth taking the time for. You are human, which means you are nature. We are all connected. What a beautiful thing it is to have a home on this Earth.

With Love,

A.M.D.