seven-year itch

Today is the 7^th Anniversary of BITNF!    

In my first post from 2014, I stated I want time before I get much older for Buddhist practice and study, for something creative like writing, for being of benefit with environmental and social causes, for being a larger presence in my small family.  So, have I measured up or have the goals changed?

• My dream of the tiny house being a meditation retreat was disrupted early on when I disassociated myself from Shambhala after disturbing revelations.  I was so upset it was a long time before I made a connection to another sangha and got back into a regular practice. 
• With writing, I’ve been disciplined with twice-monthly posts on BITNF but there is a piece of fiction that hangs over my head.  I’m determined to give it one more try. Under creativity, I’ve also started sewing again.
• Living in Nova Scotia means, of course, more visits with family, but my initial rural location was too far away to drop by frequently.  The move in December 2019 got me geographically closer but then the pandemic hit.  With all the adults doubled-vaxxed now, I’m relieved that visits can be more frequent again.
• Last year, I did write to politicians on a few issues, signed more petitions than usual, and attended a (mask-wearing, socially-distanced) protest but I consider most of my social activism under the idea of Who Did I Support?—voting with my $, buying local and fair trade where I can, supporting non-profits, etc.
• Many of the things I do for other reasons are good for the planet too—eating vegan, buying less, voting with my $, driving a 16-year old subcompact, living in a small apartment (with energy-efficient appliances and heat-pump system), burning less fossil fuels to visit family, buying used clothing, divesting, etc.—so I still consider myself an accidental environmentalist.

And as that accidental environmentalist, I confess I had given myself a pass re Climate Change, avoided reading stories about polar bears, and hoped I would be checked out of here before things got really bad.  But last month during the heat dome out west, I got anxious.  I worried for friends.  I remembered suffering in long heat waves in Seattle in 2015 and 2016 and how noticeably different those summers felt compared to my earlier ones there.  And then the town of Lytton, BC burned to the ground the day after setting the new high temp record in Canada at 49.6C / 121.3F.  That felt like it should have been the biggest news headline worldwide. 

Today I joined a Canada On Fire event demanding members of parliament act quickly on the climate emergency.

When I moved back to NS in 2017, I had big dreams for the rural property that included pollinator flower gardens, veggie gardens, permaculture, being a forest steward, and welcoming people who needed a retreat.  But living alone there in a challenging situation, I got stuck in something personal, stuck in the back for two years without ever moving forward.  So I got myself out. 

You know where this is going. 

Climate Anxiety has me thinking about all those big dreams again.

References and related links:

• Sangha: a Buddhist community.
• As B.C. bakes and burns, residents say their climate anxiety is peaking (SOURCE: CBC News)
• The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it (TED Talk by Katharine Hayhoe on YOUTUBE) 
• a path (post #110)
• why back is the new forward (post #1, the post that started it all)