Carrying The Spark

[Gentle plucks are played on a ukulele. They underscore the voices of a number of women who speak this text]

Hey friend! Welcome to this place! I’m so glad you joined me here today.

Shall we take a seat on a comfortable rock? Or we can stand if you like that better, or grab a bench :) Or maybe just feel the ground underneath you. Let’s slow down for a moment and listen to the ocean.

Isn’t it beautiful here in Mi’kma’ki? I am a huge fan of the ocean.

So, I wanted to talk to you about what it will take for us to survive the Climate Apocalypse. DUN DUN DUN! I’ve been listening to a podcast called ‘How to Survive the End of the World’ hosted by Adrienne Maree brown. She’s someone who has radically impacted me this past year in more ways than I can count or list. Seriously, if you haven’t read ‘Emergent Strategy,’ this is your nudge - it filled me with hope, direction, inspiration, and energy, as did this podcast episode.

The thought of the Climate Apocalypse can be daunting and paralyzing. Sometimes when I think about the stress that land, ocean, and its inhabitants are feeling, I can’t help but feel powerless and small.

This shouldn’t be surprising: I am an inhabitant, too.

It feels as though I am almost pre-programmed to fall into the debilitating and numbing state of apathy when I read the news. And that’s OK. “Grief is an expression of gratitude,” says Adrienne. It’s OK to feel sad. Somehow, along the path of human existence, we have severed our relationship to our home.

It’s important to feel this grief. Grief is an emotional signal that we are aware of loss. But it is also important to work towards healing. Always.

What would it look like to transition from a way of living that has been exploitative, greedy, and harmful, to a future where we begin to heal our relationship with the Earth?

Some of us often forget that we are in relationship with Earth.

Can we imagine and envision a future in which we work towards living in relationship to the land?

Who would we need to be, in this moment now, in order to bring that beautiful world into being?

In the midst of changing times, in the midst of a looming future, we can also revel in the idea that such a change or collapse can bring upon a new way of life. So I choose hope. And that’s what I hope to share with you.

Sometimes I call myself the Cautious Optimist. On my to-do list? Have more dance parties for organizers, activists, and all those with heavy hearts, where tears are welcome, and laughter is welcome, too.

And I’m going to learn all the skills I can that might help me survive the Climate Apocalypse. Some ideas so far that have come to mind are: fixing and repairing things like bikes, cars, and toasters; sewing; growing and preserving food; reading the weather and using medicinal plants. And I’m going to write a blog about all that I’m learning! It’s partly a silly way to embrace a changing world, partly a way for me to take action within my own life instead of falling into ‘pre-programmed’ apathy, and partly a way to start a conversation with those around me.

So what about you? What would you like to do?

If you like, take a moment and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in... and let it go.

Can you feel the aliveness of your body, right now, in this moment? There is a beautiful spark of life in you.

What does it want to do? How does it want to play?

Maybe there’s a movement that would feel good to do right now. Or maybe you want to sing something. Go for it… trust your spark.

Your life is so precious.

What are you going to do with the time you have here?

[The gentle strumming of the ukulele crescendos and fades away.]