In the early stages of this pandemic I shared a post about looking for the lesson or blessing in any hard season. I believe there are many lessons to be learned from nature đł and blessings to be recognized in cleaner air, in the spirit of coming together and charity, in wildlife re-emerging from the smaller and smaller spaces to which humans have relegated and confined them. đłđąđ°
Today is Earth đ Day, and in walking outside and breathing the fresher air, it feels a bit like a detox for our planet. I think many of us can relate to the concept of a detox diet - eliminate the bad stuff, heal some physical issues, feel better. đȘđ»
But, as any of us who have embarked on a detox diet know - itâs not easy at first. In fact, it kind of stinks. By third or fourth day, weâre agonizing over âïž, or đ·, or sugar. But then in the middle of it, something happens. We start to feel better. We may notice our skin clearing up or fewer pounds on the scale. We have more energy, naturally, without the caffeine or đ«. Weâre like, âWow! Thatâs amazing; getting all that crap out my system really makes a difference!â
And then the day after the detox ends, we go out and eat a cheeseburger đ, four cupcakes đ§, and drink too much đ·. We canât wait to retox and regain the weight and see our skin break out and trudge through the 2pm slump every day. We missed the point. Ignored the lesson. Reversed the blessings.
But what if we werenât so quick to go back to old, negative habitsđ đŒââïž? What if the lessons stayed with us? What if the blessings amplified our gratitude? What if we never retoxed? We have an opportunity today and in the days ahead to decide what we want for ourselves and our planet. I pray we remember the lessons and the blessings.
Happy Earth Day, everyone âđ»đđ