Friday, August 2, 2013

Why I Decided to Become a Climate Reality Leader


My favorite childhood story was The Story of Ferdinand about the bull in Spain who preferred to sit under the cork tree smelling flowers than fighting the other bulls.  I was drawn to the simplicity and peace of his life and his connection with nature.  One day he gets stung by a bee and begins hopping around.  Unfortunately for him, this happens exactly when the matadors, on a search for the fiercest bull in the countryside, pass by him.  Staying true to his nature, he refuses to fight when he gets to the bullring in Madrid.  Instead he smells the flowers on the women's hats.  They have no choice but to return him to the countryside, where he spends the rest of his days happily under his favorite tree.

Though I have always loved this story, I have not always possessed Ferdinand's acceptance of himself and his ability to prevent outside forces from affecting his self-image.  My shyness as a child made me feel different from the other children and, until recently, I always felt I was missing something important that everyone else had, which was confidence.  This led to a sense of unworthiness and a nagging question as to why anyone should listen to me about anything.  I lost my voice and when I lost my voice, I let go of my dreams.  I worked for other people doing jobs that didn't always matter to me just to be safe, and I forgot about Ferdinand.

When I had my three children, I remembered the importance of dreams.  I wanted them to live happily on this beautiful planet and feel free to be themselves and follow their own callings.  I read them The Story of Ferdinand and I began to remember.  I spoke up for them and in doing so I regained some of my voice.  Though their worthiness was abundantly clear to me, I still did not feel worthy.  I was not yet able to reclaim my power to manifest a better reality for myself.

When the youngest of my three children entered high school, I realized there would be a big void in my life unless I found what really made me come alive.  I started yoga teacher training to learn to shift my consciousness and find my purpose in life.  Two and a half years ago, after a weekend of yoga in Miami with John Friend during which he told us it was going to be the year we all turned off our critical voices and opened ourselves to our creative power within, I attended a photography workshop with Clyde Butcher and Jeff Ripple in Big Cypress.  They told us to walk into nature with our arms open orienting from our hearts.  We were supposed to feel our spiritual connection with nature first and then express it through our photography.  This fit with the yoga philosophy I was learning perfectly.  I immediately sensed my place as one being in the interconnected web of life, with no more or less importance.  I felt like I belonged in this world, as if I had finally come home.

As I looked through my viewfinder, I did not feel I was taking photographs or shooting anything when I pressed the button.  Nature and I were co-creating images together.  Fully immersed in my environment, I recognized the divine beauty before my eyes and eventually, I recognized I must have a piece of that divinity in me.  Nature made me whole again.  Through yoga and photography, I rediscovered the childlike joy and contentment that is experienced when we are fully present on this earth.  I was happy being like Ferdinand just smelling the flowers.

Then last summer, I signed up for John Fielder's wildflower workshop in Crested Butte, the wildflower capital of Colorado.  When I got there, I discovered there were no wildflowers.  All that was growing in the fields that are usually carpeted with wildflowers was fireweed.  Only if you hiked very high in the mountains was it possible to find any wildflowers, but not at the lower elevations the groups visit.  That same summer my beloved trees began burning in Colorado and New Mexico and the fires are common occurrences now as we saw throughout the southwest in recent months.  My heart goes out to the families of the firefighters in Arizona whose lives were lost.  To think that my nephew has become a fire fighter makes me worry for his safety in this world we live in now.

I can't sit on the sidelines doing nothing about climate change anymore.  It is no longer a question of whether my grandchildren will be able to appreciate the trees and flowers I love so much and which are so vital to our psychological health.  The natural world my children, my parents, and I inhabit is in serious danger and as Florida residents we know how real this danger is every time hurricane season begins.  My newly discovered calling is being threatened and it has taken my whole life to find.  I cannot let this happen without taking action, despite being a lifelong pacifist like Ferdinand.  When Betsey Downing, a fellow yoga teacher and mentor, suggested I join her at the Climate Reality Project training, I did not think twice.

As I move forward along my path in life, I will strive to always be mindful of ways to help save the planet.  It is important to me that my conversations about climate change be heartfelt and respectful.  My hope is to engage everyone I come in contact with in a non-divisive manner, so we can work together to save this beautiful earth, the only home we have.  I know this is what Ferdinand would do if he thought his favorite tree and flowers were in danger and he was going to lose his special place in nature.

4 comments:

  1. Wonderful Lynne. I love your description of finding your voice and power through life and I am so grateful you have . And now, moving into the call for loving, conscious action in partnership with our Mother. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice story Lynne, wish I would have met up with you this week I think we have a lot in common. I have always loved the wildflowers and trees as much as you. I have been blessed this year to see many many wildflowers living in Montana! Looking forward to hearing how your time progresses! Thanks for sharing. Jackie:~)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful, beautiful story Lynne. Ferdinand would be proud to know how he's inspired you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's great to roll around in the space you give your story. I think many of us can relate to feelings of unworthiness. I think a gentle soul like yours can be a terrific asset to the Climate Reality movement.

    ReplyDelete