“In a world of more than seven billion people, each of us is a drop in the bucket. But with enough drops, we can fill any bucket.” ~David Suzuki~
Dear family, friends and blog readers,
Now that we are safely on the other side of summer and cooler days are with us, I’d like to take a moment to look back in the rear window, as we leave summer 2021 behind.
Summer of 2021 was the third worst wildfire season on record in our Province. Day after day we endured scorching hot weather. Smoky air, thick as pea soup, filled our lungs if we ventured outside. Every morning I woke hoping to see a little bit of blue sky, but most days heavy grey blankets of smoke covered our valley, making me feel claustrophobic, like being stuck in a box without a lid.
A bit of history so we don’t forget; our 2021 wildfire season began officially when the George Road fire seven kilometres south of Lytton started on June 17th. While we were away on our first camping trip of the season, an oppressive heat dome covered our Province and we experienced record breaking temperature spikes. The plump ripe cherries ready for picking in our yard suddenly became dehydrated clumps in our trees and our strawberry plants, normally at their juiciest peak, were cooked to dry, brittle leaves.
On June 28th, while we were camping, a Province wide campfire ban was declared and while we cooled off in Mabel lake, the little town of Lytton, the hottest place in Canada for three consecutive days, was destroyed by fire. Two people died in that fire.
By July 20th, people in 2900 properties in our Province were evacuated and our Public Safety Minister, Mike Farnsworth, declared a wildfire related state of emergency in our Province.
Fires were burning everywhere.
The darkest days for our little community of 40,000 people happened on August 6th and 7th. I’ll never forget Friday, August 6th, as the air was thick and heavy with smoke. Dark grey clouds started to billow up from where I knew fire fighters were combating the White Rock Lake fire burning across the valley from us. All day long it felt like we were in a war zone, as helicopters flew over head with lines hanging down holding water filled buckets. Then by mid afternoon, the wind started to whip up the lake below our house and I ran around frantically, first rolling down the poolside patio umbrella and then racing up to our second floor deck, rolling down the umbrella outside of our family room so it wouldn’t blow away. Once the umbrellas were rolled down the poles continues to bend and sway and the trees around our house whistled in the hot wind.
Standing on our upper deck I could see grey smoke billowing up into the sky from what was called the White Rock Lake Fire across our valley. By 6 pm the sky was as dark as night. Pieces of wildfire debris were dropping from the sky as David came back after picking up our daughter Grace, who had been working at the waterslides. The windshield of our van was covered in black dust and there were black fir needles caught in the windshield wiper blades. It felt like Armageddon had arrived and all night the winds raged. The next morning we woke to pieces of burnt moss and blacked bark laying everywhere. The trees, grass and drive way were covered with the black scorched remnants of the fire, which we found out later had moved 2 kilometres every hour the night before.
On Saturday morning the 7th, we woke to an evacuation alert. That’s when we realized we didn’t really have anywhere to go, as every direction in our Province was not safe. That was also a moment of realization that what was truly important wasn’t a material item that we could just pack up and take with us. Our only priority was keeping our family safe. Our house, our pool, our second car, all those patio umbrellas, and T.V.’s etc…well, they didn’t matter in the big scope of things. Yet, those were the things we had worked so hard to acquire.
Our earth is suffering from mass consumerism. We are in this situation after a century of our earth’s population trying to have it all. Bigger houses, more stuff, fancier cars, exotic vacations. Our world is at a breaking point and it’s only going to get worse, unless we start shifting our priorities and focus on this climate crisis.
At the end of summer of 2021, nearly 8,700 square kilometres of land in B.C. was burnt and at the height of the wildfire season, the number of active wildfires in B.C. was over 300. We were not alone in facing fires this past summer; so many other parts of Canada and other countries around the world faced a similar experience. Can we do anything to change global warming?
The good news is that there is something we can all do…
Here are ten things the David Suzuki Foundation suggests we can do now to assist in this global crisis: (details of each can be found at the link below)
1. Urge government to take bold, ambitious climate action now
2. Use energy wisely — and save money too!
3. Get charged up with renewables
4. Eat for a climate-stable planet
5. Start a climate conversation
6. Green your commute
7. Consume less, waste less, enjoy life more
8. Invest in renewables and divest from fossil fuels
9. Mobilize for local climate action
10. Get politically active and vote
Click on the following hyper link if you want to read the specifics regarding the above suggestions. Top Ten Things You Can Do About Climate Change
GREAT NEWS!
We are already doing number 5 if you’re reading this blog post! Being aware and changing our perspective is the first step.
My family celebrated fall this weekend by going on several walks. The air is starting to be crisp and clear, some leaves are changing to brilliant reds, golds and oranges and are starting to fall, making that satisfying crunch under our feet. The kids climbed some trees and revelled under a blue sky. A blue so peaceful it makes me grateful. After the 2021 summer we experienced, it’s these simple things that make me happiest. Being with my family in nature. There is nothing more that fills me up with joy.
How about you? What brings you joy and makes you grateful?
While we can’t take on the world’s issues all on our own, we CAN each be that little drop in the bucket that David Suzuki talks about; each of us can make choices every day to live on this earth in a conscious, more intentional way. Yes there will always be people who do more, or less but do what you can. Look at the list above and ask yourself, what can I do today.
Let’s fill up that bucket, allowing it to spill over and provide the earth what it needs to heal. Need inspiration? Just go for a walk in nature today and listen to what the earth tells you.
Thank you for visiting today. Thank you for being a beautiful drop. Thank you for helping me stay inspired.
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Blessings from Hope