Its a new day with a beautiful sunrise. The sun has been “wall to wall” the past 4 days and I’ve been giddy. I am definitely solar powered.

I stand on my back porch and I look to the morning sun, reveling in the colors, the almost quiet, the gathering, rising chirping of the birds. The noise of the squirrels as they leap from branch to branch. The slight breeze rustling the trees. The barking of the neighbors dogs. And the sound of Andra Day’s “Rise Up” (I like this version a whole lot too for all the feels - Students From Baltimore's Cardinal Shehan School rehearsal)  playing from the living room, drifting out through the open door, accompanying the rising sun.

A new day is here. Yesterday is behind us, tomorrow only a thought, a concept in our human brains. For the Carolina Wren, its time for her morning song, for the squirrel, time to chase their frenemy and wait for the nice lady to fill the feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. The Cardinal in their bright red coats call to their mats “cheep cheep” - “are you there are you there, everything good?”. The trees measure the light and the temperature, bidding their time to spring forth their buds, while the bamboo prepares to send forth its rhizomes, trying to sneak past my defenses. The Milkweed is on pause beneath the ground, it will rise up to greet the great Monarch Migration.

The Animals and the Plants - see, they have not given up. They continue to pursue their lives. Perhaps adjusting a bit here and there. Perhaps aware that something - all things - are changing.

Impermanence in change.

A little more struggle, a loss of a food source, a drop in numbers, new diseases.

But I have no doubt that this year, the migrating Robins (did you know there are “local” Robins that never leave, and then there are the migrating ones?) will arrive, 30 of them in my yard searching for worms. The local Robins none to happy about the interlopers.

And so each morning, each season, animals and plants continue to rise up. It is their nature. They don’t just lay on the couch in existential despair.

They don’t become Cynics, looking from the outside, thinking - well that sucks and will continue to suck and there is nothing we can do and its too late.

No, they rise up, they live their lives and follow what is in their nature. They are afraid when they are about to be eaten by the Hawk, and then shake it off, and go back to the feeder. They go back to singing their songs.

And so - we have a model. We cannot just give up on the environment, on climate, on pollution. It can be overwhelming to our human brains. And that’s when its time to start focusing in to what is manageable, doable. To gather our strength with successive small actions. Small actions that become collective action. We need to shake off the despair that Governments struggle to take right action, enough action, fast enough action. And of course by “We” I mean me.

What is the one action you can take today to make a difference, a change in path. Pick-up trash along your walk? What does that take? Remembering to bring a bag and put on some of those nitrile gloves you stocked up on at the start of the pandemic? Get one of those picker stick things?

Today buy some seeds for pollinator plants, or buy some plants - native plants that feed the local ecology. Replace a part of your lawn with wildflowers.

Ride your bike or walk to the store instead of driving.

Put these insulation thingies in all your outlets (that’s what I started doing yesterday).

There are of course bigger things, more impactful things. The point is to get moving, and sometimes re-engaging or engaging for the first time requires small actions, small steps. Small steps can add up to a mile, a 10k, a marathon.

The other song I’ve been listening too in the mornings is Tish Melton’s “We Can Do Hard Things” - because we really can, but sometimes we have to be reminded. We can practice taking action, an action can then go on "autopilot”, freeing up energy to take on the next action.

The Cynic says, bah, that’s not possible, or oh sure you can try that but xyz is why its not enough, not good enough, going to fail, I won’t do it because I love my gas stove more than the future of the planet. There is a lack of flexibility of mindset, an all or nothing approach.

The Change Maker - they say - oh yes, I see the problem, lets get to it. Lets take some action. Oh, 10% improvement, okay that’s better than none. Now, what’s next, how do we get to 20%? 50%? What’s next, what’s next. That didn’t work, okay then, lets regroup, what lessons did we learn, lets try again this way.

In our culture of instant gratification, we still have to play the long game. Bit by bit is how we get there. At times there will be pivotal moments, sea changes (no pun intended) - but its the foundational work that will get us there, its the laying of the tracks, the ice below the water line of the iceberg. Its shifting the culture, person by person, habit by habit. You and I are a part of that. We are part of our cultures, and therefore we can impact our cultures. More on that to come.

In the meantime, watch the sunrise (or set), listen to the sounds of nature, watch the behavior of the animals and trees and the bubbling brook. And take that 5-minute action of change in your own habits to benefit the planet.

And I leave you with my final morning song - I like this version even more than the final produced one because I love the joy and emotion on the performers faces:

This is Me - Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble • 2017