I am often reminded of how close I am to God when I just get close to the soil. All of that dirt that sustains us. Nourishes our bodies. Feeds the roots of the trees that help clean the air we breathe. Feeds my soul.
"Ecological Sustainability"
"Live within our means"
"Skin of the earth"
These words really grab at my heart. I know, you're thinking - what the huh is she talking about?
The other evening, I was watching a special on PBS (we don't have cable TV, never will) on the Independent Lens - a movie called, Dirt, the Movie. It was based on the book titled Dirt, the Ecstatic Skin of the Earth by William Bryant Logan.
You know those feelings you get when something really excites you and motivates you and encourages you and inspires you? Dirt does that for me. Growing up, I remember being very small and walking with my Dad and Grandfather on my grandparents farm down in their woods. I remember my Grandfather pointing out wildflowers to me and talking about the trees. I fell so deeply in love with the sounds and smells of nature and it has always excited my heart. God created everything we need. Our every need can be found in the dirt beneath our feet and all around us. Our earth has it all.
When I went to college and majored in environment and natural resources, I would be absolutely giddy being so immersed in everything that has to do with the outdoors. As a parent, I know that part of my job is to teach my children about the God that gave us life and all of His creation. Most of our life together as a family revolves around having our hands in dirt, our feet on a trail, exposing our lungs to wonderful fresh air.
{“Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,”} Dr. Joel Weinstock
Dirt is good for you. Good for your immune system. Necessary for our food supply. One of the quotes I loved from this film was "live within our means". In everything.
We live in this gotta have it now society. 'Kids these days' think that when they get out of school, they will have the house, the car, all the furnishings, the job, the gadgets - everything right now. Whatever happened to working for it? Saving and earning? In this gotta have it now society, we often overlook how that lifestyle degrades our environment.
Living within our means, ecologically speaking, means that we can't continue with our massive industrial farming ways. We have to nurture the soil. Bring the ways of the past back. Think about sustainable living. Live simply. Teach our kids where our food comes from. Plant a garden. Compost. Buy local foods. Support the small family farmer. Drive our car less. Turn off the TV more. Go outside. Be engaged in nature. Appreciate. Give thanks. Slow down.
When I think about these things I think clear back to that time when I was a kid. When those feelings about being outdoors so excited me and still do. When I would dream about the man I would marry someday, I dreamed how he would share in that love of the outdoors. He would be a cross between a cowboy and a farmer. God brought exactly that man to me. Exactly the life He planned for me. And I am so thankful for the bounties that lie outside my own backdoor that He provides for my family.
What about you? What do you think about sustainable living? What things do you do as a family that help to promote sustainable living?
Check out the trailer for the movie here...I hope you love it as much as I did.
xoxo,
Trish