Dancing to the Beat of Life

I dedicate this blog post to my dear family of 2010 TogetherGreen Fellows.  You have allowed me to explore my own vision for the past year.  I am eternally grateful to every one of you, and am humbled to have received the Mentor Award from you.

"A man who has a vision is not able to use the power of it

until after he has performed the vision on earth for the people to see" ~Black Elk

     It is easy to view the world as it is, and hide behind a cloak of cynicism. There is always the quick wit of a sarcastic barb to ease the pain that inconveniently surfaces from within. It is not so easy to acknowledge that beneath one's cynicism lies an idealist who sees the world not as it is, but as it should be.

     We who strive for ecological wellness and social justice experience and too often shed tears for the losses in our efforts to ease the pain present in our world. Nevertheless, we passionately work to restore, heal, and create a new world where justice prevails, green space flourishes, and sustainability reigns for all of posterity.

If anyone tells us that the way is impossible, it will fall upon deaf ears, for we have gazed into the heart of the Earth, and have "heard" its ancient cry. It defines who we are, and it imparts meaning to our existence.

     I come to the end of this TogetherGreen Fellows adventure with an unwavering sense of gratitude and a renewed commitment to doing whatever I can in the time that I am given to ride this passionate wave of synergy aimed at reversing the destructive path that our species has chosen. I join with many other kindred spirits to explore beyond the horizons, to open reluctant minds, to empower the curious, to enliven the senses, and to instill an understanding that the answers to our quest lie in the heart of nature, where they have been nurtured, preserved, adapted, and refined through the spacious eons of time.

     May we all experience our personal revelations in the natural rhythms, melodic expressions, and harmonic overtones of nature.  May we further allow them to resonate deeply within our own hearts and radiate outward to all things living and growing. Perhaps then, our species can rejoin a multitude of other precious species that have not forgotten how to dance to the beat of life.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts" ~Rachel Carson.

TG photo by Gerry Ellis, copied from Facebook
Heart of Nature photo by Jessica Eggleston, GLADE 2011