Earth Day gratitude list
I’m re-posting this post from last year because I had so much fun making it that I think you will too! Happy Earth Day!
I’m totally stealing this idea from Maria Rodale, and I think you should too! Here is my Earth gratitude list in preparation for Earth Day today (and every day!):
- The sound of wind blowing leaves, especially in the fall
- The sound of water anywhere – creeks, rivers, ocean waves
- Worms coming out after a rain
- Bees buzzing from flower to flower
- The shade of a tree on a hot day
- The one-of-a-kind quiet of a forest
- Sand between your toes
- The warmth of the sun on your skin on a cool day
- How big trees’ branches seem to dance in the wind
- So-called weeds that keep coming back even after all that we do to kill them off
- The snooty birds on our feeder that pick through our bird feeders, only eating the seeds that they like
- The smell during a spring rain
- The view at the top after a mountain hike
- Rocks that are perfectly shaped for skipping in the lake or river
- How kids can get totally lost in nature, no matter how small of a spot it might be
- The family of snakes that lives in our garden – I like how they eat the bugs, and Grant likes how I scream like a school girl every time one slithers by, no matter how often it happens
- How beautifully it all works together
- The taste of a vegetable straight from the garden
- Thunderstorms
- Walking in the woods right after a big snow fall
- The smell of our herb garden when I walk by in the morning
- The potential of a small patch of earth
- The bright orange of the butterfly weed planted around our patio
- Clover and other cover crops that put more back into the soil than they take out
- Foggy mornings
- How still rabbits sit when they’re scared of a predator – and then speed off all of the sudden
- Big white clouds on a clear sunny day
- The peacefulness that nature brings
- Bird songs
- The buzz of insects in the garden
- How playful squirrels look when they’re running on tree branches
- The smell of rosemary
- The feeling at the end of a long day of hiking (and the taste of a cold beer to reward myself!)
- How nature works so cyclically
- The shadows that clouds make on the ground
- Twilight in a garden
- How trees go from so young and tender to big and mighty in really no time at all
- Lightning bugs, especially on clear night so it feels like they’re lighting up everywhere at once
- Finding some surprise wild berries on a hike, typically when you could really use them
- The wildness of nature
- The orderliness of a well-tended farm
- The slow circles of hawk looking for prey
- The millions of microroganisms doing their thing under every square foot of soil
- Creeks with rocks for stomping across
- The solitude of sunrise
- Nature’s peace-inducing, stress-reducing characteristics. Even if you can only get outside for two minutes, it’s amazing the difference it makes.
- Sleeping outside (in a tent) or with the windows open and waking up to the first sounds of nature waking up too
- The crunch that leaves make under your feet in the fall
- The bright, varied colors of the sunset depending on the season
- The feel of walking barefoot on the grass/dirt
YOUR turn!