Why Write a Blog?

This week I was going to write about whether or not global warming intensified Hurricane Helene. As I started researching the topic I realized the conflicting views on global warming may over complicate the issue. Instead I’ll try to make sense of why I want to write this blog in the first place. I’m not a scientist, just a person who wants to learn. I want to learn about nature in all its incredible forms and how my choices affect its ability to thrive. I’m taking classes with the North Carolina Arboretum, the New York Botanical Gardens and North American Invasive Species Management Association. Writing about what I’m learning, as though someone is reading, helps me process and retain information. If you would like to learn with me, please do!! If you can teach me, even better!!

Is human activity causing the planet to warm or is it a simple fact of nature? Do cow farts play a role? I already have an opinion but will try to look at the facts with an open mind. To be sure, there are indisputable ways in which our lifestyles pollute the planet: plastic pollution, toxic waste, deforestation and so much more.I have heard questions about whether or not the environmental crises we face will destroy the planet as a whole or just life on Earth. As an attempt to comfort, people often say,”life may not survive but the planet will recover.” It’s true the Earth’s climate and capacity for life goes through cycles. From what I’ve learned so far, those cycles are directly affected by the rise and fall of organisms. What are humans but complicated organisms? But I don’t want to write only about the challenges we face. I hope anyone who reads these posts will fall in love with Nature, bugs and all.   

 Deepening my own connection to the planet that sustains us is important to me. The modern world’s detachment from the environment and preoccupation with itself is nerve wracking. Anytime I'm feeling depressed or anxious I try to sit quietly among trees or by water. My concerns dissipate in the wind and wash away with the current of a stream. There is more to life than my personal goals, more than my comforts and insecurities. Billions of other creatures are also fighting for survival. And they are amazing! 

So you’ve been warned. At times these posts may get heavy. I like to wonder, “what does it all mean?” I will be on the lookout for my tendency to be overdramatic and hypervigilant.  A virtual smack on the head is welcome if I begin to sound hopeless. Alright, if you're with me, let’s go! Next week, I’m thinking, bees!!