good days

And bad days.

“On good days, I believe in our capacity to heal, to form communities of concern and action, to recognize loveliness and protect it… . On bad days, I have to find comfort in the sweep of geologic time, wait till night and watch the stars.” (Christopher Cokinos, Hope is the Thing With Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds)

I love when a book seems to pick me as I stand along the shelves. This happened to me this autumn when I visited a remarkable book shop in Fort Collins, CO., Wolverine Farm (check it out!).

The book that jumped out at me, or flew to me in another sense, was a book about vanished birds. Well written and well researched, the author, Christopher Cokinos, documents the history and demise of 6 bird species (the Carolina Parakeet, Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Heath Hen, Passenger Pigeon, Labrador Duck, and the Great Auk).

One of the overarching takeaways while reading this was a reflection of how complacent and careless we humans can be. We see a surplus and think it’s bottomless or endless – but it’s not. We see something we want and will go to any extremes to acquire it, no matter how destructive the means.

I’m grateful to poets, writers, researchers, activists, and others who take the time to generate a message – through art, books, papers, legislation, etc. – and who continue to inform the general public.

I do believe in our ability and capacity to heal. Just as we humans can negatively impact a “surplus” of beauty by our destructive behaviors, we can correct it by cleaning up a surplus of our mess (even litter). It starts with awareness, then acceptance, and finally action. One [fill-in-the-blank] at a time.