Happy Earth Day!

This year, Earth Day is going to mark the beginning of some changes in my lifestyle. I will think of it as a kind of New Years resolution type of deal, except it will be oriented towards the Earth.

My mind is running wild with all the changes I'd like to make. I also just finished watching a moving documentary on Netflix. It's called American Experience: Earth Days, and it's a great historical film about the creation of Earth Day and the environmental movement that fueled it. I got chills watching it.

I've spent a lot of time over the past year or so trying to figure out what I want to do with my life- what is my calling? I know that motherhood is a big part of my life and is definitely a calling of mine, but I kind of feel that it is a natural calling of every woman. I've always felt like there was something else out there that I was supposed to go find. I now think I have found it. Something changed in me when I watched that documentary. The beast that had been laying dormant has now arisen. I need to make change. About all of the things that I feel passionate about- sustainable living, organic food production, environmentally friendly practices, and more. I have a deep spiritual connection to this Earth. When I go outside and feel the soft grass on my feet and hear the wind stirring in the trees, I just know that these are the things I value.

I am concerned. I am concerned for the future of this planet. There are some very ignorant people in this world when it comes to respecting our planet. Our resources are finite, but some people are not able to see this. We can only go on like this for so long before it is all going to come crashing down. The ravaging effects on this planet are already starting to show with global warming. And yet, there are still some people that believe global warming is a hoax. Our temperatures here have been unusually high- so much so that my hubby and I have planted some of our garden already. We did so a few weeks ago. Normally we don't plant until June 6th. We were almost two months early. As enjoyable as it is, it is equally as disturbing to me. I have a really odd feeling about what's going on. It just doesn't feel right.

Therefore, my number one resolution for this Earth Day is to find some sort of organization that I can become involved in. I'm not sure what my level of involvement will be yet, but at the very least I would like to be in the know about some environmental issues and perhaps do some "couch protesting" as I like to put it (via the internet).

Some other changes include planting a very, very large garden (twice the size of what we had before) and really making a big push to learn a lot more about preserving. We have dawdled in canning for the past few years, each year adding more that we do. I have greatly enjoyed our success from last harvest season and I would like to expand it to include more items this year. It is an indescribable feeling to be able to stock your cupboards with food that you not only grew yourself, but preserved it as well.

The rest of my goals are smaller and numerous, so I'll make a somewhat brief list of them:
-More eco-friendly methods to water garden (i.e. rain collecting buckets, water from the creek in our yard, etc)
-Eat more local foods
-Learn about more eco-friendly methods of living (I'm always on the lookout for these ideas)
-Continue to try to buy items second hand first and try to avoid buying things if we don't truly need them

I will try to post more often on my thoughts, progress, etc. I find it difficult to get time to write blogs as often as I'd like and sometimes when I do have time, I have too many ideas that I don't even know where to begin, end up getting frustrated and overwhelmed and don't write. Comments do help though, so please keep them up! It helps me feel like my blogging has a purpose other than releasing thoughts from my head.

Happy Earth Day! What changes will you make this year?