The year was 1970..
I was newly arrived in California..
for the very first time..
big-eyed, big-haired and aghast!
Welcome to yellowish dusty Pacific beaches..
Gone was the smell of ocean and pine trees..
Hello to concrete, smog and Santa Ana winds..
Marvin Gaye was singing Mercy, Mercy me...
something about Ecology..
what the heck was ecology?
a new term..
Flower Children were dancing in the streets..
the parks..
Hippies were everywhere..
bell bottoms and gas masks?
That was 41 years ago..
seems like just yesterday...
In those years, I've learned much..
a lot of what had nothing to do with hippies or flower children ..
or even Marvin Gaye..
It all started at home..
using good common sense..
We grew our own food..
we recycled everything..
remember the term "hand me downs"?
that was common practice in our household..
we sewed most of our clothing from grain sacks..
no fancy brand names.
just "made with love from Mom"
we picked,canned and froze vegetables for winters use..
we composted , amended our soil..
and respected our planet..
beginning at home.
We've come a long way in those 41 years..
More people inhabit our planet..
More people to add to the waste..
More landfills..
what is to happen when there is no longer land to FILL?
yet,because of that day in 1970..
new laws for protecting our planet have been enacted..
and practiced as we preached..
On this Earth Day and everyday,
I celebrate my God..
who made this planet for me and mine to exist, co-exist..
while doing MY part to protect and preserve it for the next generation..
teaching and guiding as my parents did..
and theirs before them..
all it takes is ONE to start a movement...
and others following ..
WE can make a difference..
YOU and I..
yes...WE can!
this is such a beautiful post :) i totally agree WE can make a difference
ReplyDeleteI'm weeping for joy — I just LOVE it when people I think so highly of are right there fighting the good fight with me! Yes We Can!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, did you see me in California when I attended the No Nuke Rally at the Hollywood Bowl? We were protesting nuclear weapons and the nuclear power plants they wanted to build on our shores. We weren't new to the table in Cali in the 70s, the fight had been going on since the 50s. Of the more than 60 PG&E had planned to open, only three were built and only one remains now. Edison owns the other only operating plant. Four plants were closed over the years from the 60s to the 90s. It was a tough battle, but Californians stood up for the environment and while we lost a few battles, we won the war. Now I feel the same way about offshore oil drilling on the Gulf Coast. BP helped proved why last year.
Go Earth! Go Loui! You both are beautiful!
P.S. I added a link to this post on my Earth Day post. Thanks!
You and Shellebelle (Rhonda) give me a thrill with your eco-posts...hopefully, we can all work toward a healthier respect for our beautiful earth.
ReplyDeletelovely post. and i LOVE LOVE LOVE the hair. is that really you? oh i wish i was born sooner... (i wasn't brought into this world until 77). sure, i've had my fair share of the grateful dead (and phish and dave matthews band) but it's just not the same.
ReplyDeleteYou go Miss Hippie Mermaid!
ReplyDelete