Last weekend I painted a picture of the bouquet of flowers on my coffee table. After I’d finished that, I wrote across the top, “Making It Better Starts Here.”
It was meant as a reminder to me that the opportunities to improve and shine surround us. That’s why Making It Better isn’t just the June theme of this blog; it’s also my summer project.
There is no shortage of projects right under my own roof, although my plans go beyond my personal environment. Impacting a larger world starts with small deeds inspired by a conscious decision to make things better wherever and whenever we can.
It was a lesson I learned years ago from a dear friend.
The most passionate environmentalist I’ve ever known was Chris Utterback. To her, all offenses were equally serious whether it was defiling a public space with graffiti or chopping down a rain forest. She cared deeply for the earth and couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t feel the same sense of responsibility.
One day we were driving through the quiet Connecticut countryside where she lived and came across a pile of trash heaped on the roadside. She slammed on her brakes and we jumped out of the car, picked up the litter, bagged it and put it in the back of her station wagon.
As we got back in, I sighed and said, “Planetkeeping is a full-time job.” Chris looked at me as if I’d said the most brilliant thing and without saying so, we both volunteered to be Planetkeepers.
Planetkeeping isn’t just a full-time job; it’s a demanding one that requires vigilance and a willingness to do more than our share simply because it’s the moral choice.
Planetkeeping is motivated by a sense of responsibility to nature and other people whether we know them or not.
It assumes that we’ll take care of whatever is ours to care for no matter how difficult or challenging that may be. Planetkeepers refuse to be influenced by the indifference and apathy of others.
Planetkeeping also demands that we stop withholding our own gifts and talents and put them to work in the service of making the world a better, happier, nurturing place.
Imagine, for a moment, how quickly things would change if everyone went through their days actively working to improve everything they touch. What would happen to road rage? To rudeness” To the environment? To self-esteem? To greed? To our communities? To litter? To hunger?
We may never eliminate all the Pillagers who have no sense of stewardship, but that isn’t an excuse for abandoning our efforts to make every corner of our own world as wonderful as possible…and spread out from there.
Buckminster Fuller, a card carrying Planetkeeper, challenged us to ask ourselves this question: “What can I do that isn’t going to get done unless I do it, just because of who I am?”
That’s a question worth answering every single day.
I love the idea of Planetkeepers. Sign me up!
Barbara,
Your sage wisdom never ceases to surprise me. My personal blog is all about doing things as you can to make your difference in the world and help change it for the better.
We need people to be as committed as you, doing things every day wherever they go. If everyone would do a little bit, a lot would get done. We must be the examples.
You call yourself a planet-keeper. I’ve been telling people for months now that I was called to be one of the world’s great cheerleaders. To point out what is good about the world, and encourage everyone to join me in making it even better and overcoming the challenges our planet faces. I want to recognize you today for doing your part. Hurrah for you Barbara! (Picture me cheering you on with my pompoms!)