diversity – Page 9 – Health4earth

Hope

I am sending a message of Hope on this World Day of Peace

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today… Aha-ah…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one John Lennon

Kindness: Make it a habit!

December kindness continues:
This my third post on December Kindness. I hope you can help spread some kindness this week. Kindness is a sustainable behavior. How can we all make our communities more kind and pleasant?

** Show gratitude, “Thank You!”
** Take a walk, focus on the beauty of winter.
** Make a special effort to watch for pedestrians when you drive.
** Smile
** Positive Energy Day: Be positive to your family, and those you encounter at work. Admit if you make a mistake!
** Volunteer
** Listen with eye contact
** Use real dishes and silverware, reuse. Think, “Zero waste!”
** Complement People Day!
** Sacrifice Your Place In Line Day!
** Shovel or sweep someone’s sidewalk.

Other ideas for kindness: https://health4earth.com/2017/12/01/kindness-spread-it-now/

What Do We Want?

I want a world that treats all people with respect and kindness.

“Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Eight more ways you can spread kindness. These are my ideas for a kinder week for us all:
Friday, December 8, Celebrate Friday by smiling at people.
Saturday, December 9, Bring your reusable bags shopping, and be kind to the earth.
Sunday, December 10, Practice forgiveness.
Monday December 11, Start the week right and donate to a local food shelf. Second Harvest
Tuesday, December 12, Think of that person you have been meaning to call for a while, and dial them for a positive chat.
Wednesday, December 13, Be kind to the earth and donate to Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Thursday, December 14, Make it a zero landfill waste day: Recycle, compost, and reuse.
Friday, December 15, Friday gratitude: Today think of the people you are thankful for in your life.

Other ideas for kindness: https://health4earth.com/2017/12/01/kindness-spread-it-now/

This is Our Country

Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.

~ Theodore Roosevelt

kindness, spread it now!

Happy December! Kindness is the light of happiness and of life!

There are many ways to spread kindness, and I like many of the Kindness Calendars on the internet. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Friday, December 1, Do something good for the earth, go plastic free, go for a walk and smile at the people you meet.

Saturday, December 2, How can you help someone who needs help? Give rides to the grocery store, babysit, bring someone a dinner.

Sunday, December 3, List three things you are thankful for.

Monday, December 4, National Sock Day: Donate socks to a homeless shelter.

Tuesday, December 5, Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while, an aunt or uncle, cousin or friend.

Wednesday, December 6, Listen to people with eye contact.

Thursday, December 7, Be thankful for grandfathers and fathers who fought in WWII, and donate money to AmnestyInternational

A good deed a day!

Check out the Kindness calendar

It is always possible to be kind!

Justice for All

The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Does this give some the right to treat others without justice?

The United States was founded on rebellion. Rebellion is what created the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This week I have been to Washington D. C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore visiting historical sites. The United States Capitol was in Philadelphia the first ten years, the 1790s, of its existence while the Washington, D. C. Capitol was being built. According to the park ranger, protests were a constant thing. Protesting for the right of women to vote, and protests to end slavery were often at Independence Hall, where at that time the capital was located. The protesters felt the new government was unjust to exclude women and allow slavery.

Independence Hall had many protests at the beginning of the U.S. government.

Now in 2017 we have athletes protesting police violence towards black men. Many feel the behavior of law enforcement toward black people is not acceptable. This is a way athletes can express their opinions to many people. Unfortunately, in denial of this injustice some have changed the meaning of these protests to be about protesting against the flag and military.

We can’t tell others how they should feel, or what they should think, and we don’t all think and feel alike. In the 1790 some felt the new United States government was unjust. The same is true today, not everyone feels they are treated equally and with justice! Are their complaints justified? Is there equal treatment for all? Do we all have the same liberties and rights? What do you think?

International Day of Non-Violence

Hello to the United States from a girl I met in Taiwan

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history!” Gandhi

Everyday the world faces tragedy, but we must continue to work together to create a world where non-violence is cool!

The below editorial was printed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune: Six Steps to Make America more Civil, and a little bit greater:

1. Become more aware of others

2. Do a good deed everyday

3. Clean up your language

4. Give others the benefit of the doubt.

5. Change the world right where you are.

6. Leave your surroundings better than you found them! Read the entire article here.

Even if you can do only two from above, you can make a difference and be happier!

Together for Peace

2017 Peace Day Theme: Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.

The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.
#jointogether

Peace is a goal to which we strive, a state of existence that we want to live in, a way of acting and a feeling of respect. When we work to live peacefully with others it shows the concern and love we express for them. In some cultures, people greet one another by using the word “peace” in their greetings, “peace be to you.” Native Americans when they met with people from another tribe, or when “foreigners” came to them respectfully, the “peace pipe” was shared among those assembled. From early times, cultures have recognized symbols for peace. Voices Education

Today, do something kind for our earth!

Brothers and sisters all are we
Let me walk with my brother and sister
In perfect harmony !

Life and Death on Lake Superior

August 2017

I had just seen a hawk fly along Lake Superior, but was surprised when two large birds came crashing into a window where was sitting. This created a 45 minute ordeal below my window. The flicker cried, fought and cried some more, but the talons of the hawk had a firm grip. Blue jays and crows came to watch the commotion. The persistence of the hawk ruled and she was too strong and determined for the flicker. An unusual number of hawks in our neighborhood this August have changed the lives of chipmunks, squirrels, and the birds.

On a happier note, A a fresh bright monarch was drying her wings after emerging from her cocoon, and a monarch caterpillar was weaving herself into a cocoon and will hopefully evolve into a new monarch in two weeks.

The great south migration has started with groups of night-hawks and yellow-rump warblers migrating through, and in another week the hummingbirds will be gone, also. Harbingers of fall.

The flowers are at their peak and the bees are crazy for bee balm and anise hyssop. The wood-nymph butterflies have been plentiul, but they too are at the end of their life cycle to be replaced by white admirals, cabbage whites, and fritillaries.

Hate and Injustice

Hate is not sustainable!

Last week I finished reading “The Deep South” by Paul Theroux. Theroux takes four trips into the south, works diligently at interviewing individuals, and writes serious descriptions of what he sees and hears. I loved meeting the people he meets, but was surprised by the poverty, illiteracy, and segregation that still exists in our country. I was most surprised by the white men still fighting the Civil War, and expressions that the rest of us were taking away their freedom because of rules imposed upon them. Why they wallow in this self-pity, and that they are so discriminated against is a serious issue for all of us. I can relate “Deep South” to the events that happened this week in Charlottesville, Virginia. Why do these White Separatists feel so discriminated against? The statue of Robert E. Lee is a symbol of something bigger? Why is hate the solution to our problems? In my work on gun violence and ATVs, I try to express that we all have rights, but I am just stomping on my opponents rights, and out to get them. They are being discriminated against! They feel they should be able to do what they want without regard to the rest of us. Why can’t we see when we violate others rights? The conversation must continue.

Read an interesting thought about the struggle to rise above our history of slavery on PBS.