When I begin to feel the stress of everyday living, one of the best things I can do is to get outside and head for either the beach or the trees which are both only a fifteen minute walk from my house. I’ll bet that anyone who lives in a the city might think that quite wonderful and be envious. I agree that it is, but I have a terrible confession to make… I don’t do this enough. Why is that when I am retired and only have myself to care for? Could it have something to do with not having enough time, or might it be a bit of laziness, sometimes forgetfulness, or some other lame excuse? Regardless for what the reason is for my not getting in touch with nature more often when it’s right at my doorstep, the one thing I am certain of is that when I make time for a walk in nature, I return home feeling invigorated and more at peace. And, yes,I am more motivated to write about it on my blog.

Let’s face it, maybe I’m being a bit hard on myself when it seems like everyone is dealing with similar problems with every day life as it is these days. Keeping up with what’s happening around the world and checking out our latest e-mails, half of them ads or spam, are huge time stealers. What a waste! Thankfully, I have some control over those, but it seems they are becoming more of an annoyance because I feel like I am being forced to spending my days more at my computer paying my bills, buying stuff via the internet, and attending meetings on Zoom. This can take a huge chunk of my time because I am not that computer savvy, thus, putting me at a disadvantage when dealing with the never ending changes the websites subject me to. My greatest stressors right now are my smart phone, my computer, and my digital camera. It’s no surprise that all of this is eating into my time for writing posts for my blog. My veggie garden, landscaping efforts to rid my practically non- existent lawn with perennials in my attempt to attract bees and butterflies, an exercise class twice a week, and some yoga at home are providing ample exercise which give me a break from these devices. Although the garden and landscaping are challenging my body with aching muscles, I try to look on the bright side of having my own grown-by-me fresh veggies for dinner and a yard that is slowly showing some improvement. My challenge now is to somehow incorporate more walks with nature into my days and weeks ahead before winter’s cold sets in.

When there are so many people having to endure ferocious storms, wars, starvation, injustices imposed on them by uncaring governments and racism, just to mention a few of the challenges facing our messed up world, I thank God, the Universe, or whatever you want to call that unknown guide we have faith in, that none of these atrocities have found me….yet!

Recently parts of Nova Scotia were hit by hurricane Fiona, the predecessor of Ian which recently devastated parts of Florida. Fortunately, she decided to give us in the southwestern part of the province a miss. Apart from much needed rain and strong winds, we woke up the next day to power and with our trees still standing. I had expected the worst as did all my neighbours. However, my joy was quickly replaced with sadness and disbelief when I turned on my radio to be greeted with news of the devastation elsewhere. The northern part of our province, along with the whole of Prince Edward Island and parts of Newfoundland didn’t escape Fiona’s ferocity. In the town of Port aux Basque, Nfld. some houses were either swept out to sea or severely damaged but miraculously no lives were lost. I couldn’t help wondering how I would react if my house was taken by a storm leaving me a homeless.

Okay, so we managed to escape this hurricane in our “little piece of heaven” as some of us have taken to calling this part of our province, but we, or at least I am, far from complacent. We are in no way immune and the next hurricane, if there is one more out there for this season, could very well decide to come our way. And if it doesn’t happen this year, rest assured there will be next year which could be a blessing in disguise for it does give us time to prepare. What Fiona has managed to do for some of us is to take more seriously the value of being better prepared for such monstrous storms created by our changing climate.

However, the important question is how can we as humans live with these frightening and uncertain times? We know it’s not going to be easy. The first step is to bravely face the reality that we have to deal with some or maybe all of the things I’ve mentioned above. We are in the midst of changes like we have never seen before, and all we can do is to prepare as best we can for them. There is no time to be in a state of denial or complacency or worse fall into a state of depression by giving up. Things are not going back to the way they were so we have to adapt to new ways of doing things. All of us are going to be shaken out of our comfort zones at some time or other. That little piece of heaven as we know it on this earth is rapidly disappearing and we need to at least try to preserve some of it.

As a promoter of change for the betterment of our world, I have written several posts on the subject of our changing climate as well how we can change ourselves so we can deal with it. The links below will take you there if you care to read them. Although listening to the news can be downright depressing, I still feel that if we can all make a concerted effort to remain positive and be the best we can possibly be, then maybe we will be able to create a better world.

How Good Are We at Dealing With Change?

http://Keeping Positive in Changing Times

Transforming My Life

Taking the Road Less Travelled

Dealing With Climate Change on a Personal Level