PEBBLE
Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.
–Janice Anderson, shared by Terri in New Hampshire
BOULDER
If you peek long enough into the natural world- the trees, the hills, the rivers, and all natural things- you start to realize that their spirit is much bigger than what can be seen, that the visible part of nature is only a small portion of what nature is.
-Malidoma Patrice Somé, The Healing Wisdom of Africa, shared by Mandy in Blue Mounds, WI
PONDER
I’m excited to celebrate this week’s Earth Day and next week’s Arbor Day with a special double issue of Ripples, focusing this week on inviting us all to enjoy the immense beauty of our planet.
We’ll have more to say next week about how we can help improve the planet, but I think the best way we can prepare for that is to focus this week on considering just how beautiful and amazing our planet is.
Get out in nature and activate your sense so you can really see, smell, hear, touch and even taste the bounty of goodness our planet offers. Visit a park, hike a trail, or even just find two minutes to stand barefoot in a spot of grass and do a slow 360 degree turn, noticing any trees, plants and creatures that catch your attention. And if it is still too cold for these types of shenanigans in your neck of the woods, maybe you could spend some time looking through your photos for previous moments in your life when you were captivated by Mother Nature.
Peace,
Paul
P.S. A shout-out to longtime Rippler Michael of Madison, Wisconsin whose passion and concern about the environment inspired the idea of unleashing these special ripples specifically in support of our planet, which really does need our help.
