Thanking Mother Earth:
Eight things you can do to celebrate Earth Day 2022
Take a deep breath and thank mother earth. Part of the reason you can, and must, do this is because today is Earth Day. Earth Day is a worldwide celebration of the earth and an annual reminder that we must cherish and protect our planet with all we have. Earth Day was established in 1970 and sparked the passage of the Clear Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the legislation creating the Environmental Protection Agency.
This Earth Day blessing idea (which I actually do every day) came to me many years ago. I was out on a hike one winter day with my friend Ray Browning who had these cool Salomon boots on. With every step he took, he would leave an angel print because there was an angel carved out in the sole of his boots. I thought this was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to put them on the bottom of my shoes, but I could not figure it out or draw that well, so I decided that I would “infuse my shoes.” I imagined that there were these blessing pads on the bottom of my shoes, and everywhere that I ran, the Earth would feel blessed and loved (almost like giving the Earth a massage).
I did this 8 mile loop almost everyday and did not think much about it until there was a fire in our neighborhood. This fire started as a controlled burn by the Forest Service but got out of control… Go figure. But get this: the fire did not cross over where I had run with my “blessing pad” shoes. This intention of love that I had set from the bottom of my shoes (and the bottom of my heart) truly did help. So try it! Let’s all make time to honor our planet this year, if not publicly, then in a personal appreciation for all our Earth gives to us.
Eight things you can do to thank Mother Earth
1) Watch Amanda Gorman deliver her poem, “Earthrise”
2) Clean, reuse, recycle, restore. As you do your spring cleaning, remember that what you are no longer using could really benefit someone else. Think about giving these items to homeless shelters, for example. One year, I had given all my Ironman finish t-shirts and other race t-shirts to the homeless shelter here in Boulder. It was great to see them all wearing the t-shirts so proudly.
3) Pick up some trash — on the beach, on the road, anywhere, and everywhere. I keep a big garbage bag in my car, and I just pick up trash. During the height of the pandemic, I was told to stop. But I just put on gloves and kept going. One idea is to host a trash pick up event. Every July 4th, we do a big clean up event in our neighborhood. We give everyone bags and send them into the forest. Some are runners, some are hikers, some are on mountain bikes or horses. The person with the most trash collected wins a prize. The horse folks were the big winners last year hauling in some old tires
“I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” — Mother Teresa
4) Plant a tree — and then make sure you water it and take care of it.
“He that plants trees loves others beside himself.” ― Thomas Fuller
5) Invest in recycled items! One of my new things is a bamboo recyclable kitchen towel from Gloclean.
6) Set a goal to travel a set amount of miles by your own human power before the end of summer. You could run, walk, swim, kayak, bike, etc. One of our Questers, Darcy Tiglas, did this with cross country skiing, and it totally motivated her to get out and ski in all conditions. Plus it is fun to move your body!
7) Listen to informative podcasts about our Earth and environment. Check out the Outrage and Optimism podcast for Earth Day environmental music: https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/episodes. Or, listen to this podcast about the Crystalline Grid. When you meditate, offer gratitude, thanks, and prayers, remember to send the prayers to the earth but also to the crystalline grid that holds the earth. When you give it good energy it can revive and send good energy back to the earth. It has huge benefits for us!
7) Get outside and PLAY! The earth loves it when you are laughing, singing, rejoicing and simply enjoying her, especially barefoot.