I often carry a rock in my pocket. It reminds me of ancient things; things that have been here far longer than I. It also reminds me there are things which will outlast me, will outlast all that I consider permanent.

It makes me wonder: which of the problems that seem overwhelming, which of the mountains I consider unclimbable  and which of the oceans I think are uncrossable will not even be worth mentioning when the chronicles of this Universe are written?

Still the mounting devastation resulting from greenhouse-gas emissions weighs on me daily.

Sometimes I clutch my rock tightly and I ask a higher power for wisdom and courage. “How can I use what little time I have left for the highest good?”

As of now I think these are the 3 best things I can do about this slow-moving catastrophe: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/global-warming-is-a-slow-moving-civilization-ending_b_5a42a196e4b0d86c803c7396

1. Ask Congressman Lloyd Smucker to be a problem solver by sponsoring HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. https://energyinnovationact.org/

2.Facilitate conversations about climate change among people in my sphere of influence hoping it soon becomes a subject of daily discourse in the check-out line, at the doctor’s office, around the water cooler and at the gym.

3. Practice “active hope” (activist author Joanna Macy) by determining what I want to see happen in the world, identifying the actions I can take to move things towards my vision and then performing these actions as regular practices even when I feel like we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Active Hope is about becoming active participants in bringing about what we hope for. Active Hope is a practice.”