MY VERY OWN SPILL

Last night I was watching a news report about the oil spill in the Gulf, with film footage of divers in Hazmat suits that went right into the mess to see how shocking it really is from IN the water. The fish's perspective. The chemicals they are spraying on the oil have now blended with it to create an entirely new toxic entity and no-one knows what the environmental impact of this new creation will be. WOW.

I found myself reflecting on all the millions of people watching that news clip, who react with horror and compassion for all the creatures being poisoned. And then they get up and go take a shower or wash the dishes, and toxic chemicals flow down the drain from their very own spill. Every single person who watches that horror in the Gulf and then pours products into the waterways that are not biodegradable is creating a spill of their own. But do we ever think about that? There are millions of gallons of oil and chemical dispersant in the Gulf, but BILLIONS of people every day all over the world use detergent or shampoo or fabric softener or soap that contains chemicals that are toxic to creatures in the water. If people felt the same horror and compassion as they wash their clothes with something like Tide, as they have when they hear about the Gulf, this world would be a very different place.

I know people who have SO much love and compassion for Nature and all the blessings she bestows, and yet when I go into their bathroom to wash my hands, there is the soap with toxic chemicals on the sink. How many of you reading this still have "regular" soap in your bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms? But I bet every single one of you is horrified at the oil spill in the ocean. Where is the disconnect? Why do we care SO much about something that is poisoning the water down in the Gulf, and not a whit for what is poisoning the water from our very own home? Our very own toxic spills. Every day, many times a day. It is time to personalize this horror and compassion. To bring it right in front us as we reach for the detergent, and CONNECT to the creatures that are about to be dumped on. If you still have things in your home that go down the drain that are full of chemicals, please take all that reaction you have to the tragedy in the Gulf and USE it to transform your own spill. We don't need BILLIONS of personal toxic spills every single day. This is something we can change TODAY.

My mother, God bless her, is really trying to shift into all products that do no harm, and I get to hear her trials about how hard that is! Right now my parents are in the woods in Northern Wisconsin where they don't have many options for stores to search in, and sadly, many stores don't carry bio-degradable products at all. So if you are in a place with only one grocery store and a Wal-Mart that has NO environmentally safe products, what do you do? The fact that these stores have HUNDREDS of soaps and not ONE that is safe for our waterways is a sad testament to how many people are still unconscious about the importance of these daily choices. We have created a society where the option to do no harm is not even available in some places! Again, WOW. How did we get to this place? I still dream of a day when EVERY store you walk into has ONLY products that do no harm so you can't buy toxic chemicals even if you want to!!!!! Imagine THAT world. Then live that world in your choices.

May this horrific event in the Gulf that everyone is conscious of be a miraculous catalyst to make us conscious of our OWN contribution to the waters near our homes. And may the Waters forgive us for all the poisons we are continuing to wash down the drains in our very own spills.

Thanks for listening, and making new choices.

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

Can you say A D O R A B L E??? This is the latest addition to the Larsens family, and I was the one blessed with discovering the baby only a few hours after it was born! YAY! I almost stepped on the placenta in the sand. It was born right underneath a tree at the South end of my favorite beach, where the rancher has not yet cut the trees down. And this small creature might have the power to stop this man from destroying more wilderness to turn it into cattle pasture. He can't continue saying there are no Endangered Species on the property when there is a seal pup nursing right there! So finally the agencies that are supposed to be protecting this conservation area may be forced to rescind the permit because of this small but mighty warrior. YAY! There is at last a hearing this Thursday with the board of the DLNR, and this pup gets the final word.

We humans are small compared to many creatures on Earth, and we also are mighty, but what have we used that might for? We have the dubious distinction of being the only creatures on Earth that have poisoned all the things we ourselves need for survival: our air, our water, and our soil. What became of our wisdom while we were doing this? And will we now decide to use our might to RESTORE the air and water and soil? The oil pouring into the Gulf right now is a perfect example. We use our technology to poison the ocean, but where is the technology to STOP poisoning the ocean???? They still have not stopped the outflow and every day it brings more death to the creatures in the area. Then they spray the slick with toxic chemicals to try and disperse it. WOW. The rig itself was really small in the vastness of the Gulf, but the area it is polluting is HUGE. This is how we use our might. And when you pull up to the pump to fill your gas tank do you think about the consequences that are occurring right now? WE are the ones keeping that flow going. Since the spill occurred 27 new drilling projects have been approved! Why? Because we demand more and more oil for our lives. It is time to change our demands.

There is a small percentage of the world population that is now aware that we are doing harm. Sadly, among those that have become aware, an even smaller percentage is committed to STOP doing harm in every way possible. But I must believe that this small group is mighty. That the sheer power of LOVE for the Earth and her creatures by this small group will somehow be HEARD by the billions of people who are not yet looking at what they are doing, and by those who are aware and not acting. We need to turn around what is coming.

There is a campaign that has begun for a global shift in the next 4 years. The premise is that we have to shift our way of life in 4 years or we pass the point of being able to turn things around. It is at http://www.fouryearsgo.org/ The advertising firm behind the campaign is the same one that did the Nike "Just Do It" and Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" campaigns, both of which were wildly successful in motivating millions. So perhaps that mighty power will work for this as well. It is heartening to know that a firm whose business it is to engage millions of people worldwide, is now using that power to help the Earth. YAY! May this be even more successful than their other campaigns. And may they get people to really LOOK at the consequences of our habits. The change has to start now if we are going to be transformed in 4 years. We may not even have that long. Please, start now.

Thanks for listening.