The littering of lands need a crew ready to the work to clean it up.

A story of privilege and signs not to be ignored...

I’ve been driving the back roads on our intensive wildflower search of 2020. Along these beautiful back roads are beer cans. So many beer cans. What a clever idea for the roving alcoholic - just throw your can out the window and no one will know what you’re up to.

As if drunk driving is proven by the empty beer cans in the car.

Meanwhile... I’m driving around picking up these beer cans because - littering - they also collect them at the animal shelter here - bless their hearts.

I’ve been pulled over with them in the back of my car and that’s all I’ve said - “yeah, those are all the beer cans I’m picking up on the side of the road”.

The officer thanks me! Doesn’t write me a ticket and tells me to be safe out there. I’ve got my mom in the car so we’re the epitome of white women living our best lives, we wouldn’t be drinking and driving, just throwing our cans in the back seat because we’ve discovered yet another privileged way to get away with whatever stupid, bad, dangerous behavior we feel is our right to engage in.

Or would we???

Signs not to be ignored: these cans strung-up from a tree are called Hurricanes - they were spinning on a fishing line, hanging from a tree to mark a “secret” campsite. For some group that didn’t think they should have to pay the campsite fee.

Given this year so far, it’s not hard for me to know storms are here and they’re gonna keep coming. If we thought the 1st 6 months of 2020 were hard - get ready, cause the 2nd half is gonna be like hurricanes hanging from trees, ripe for the picking, tearing through lives, leaving no one unmoved.

You can either be the person trying to get away with something that no one has a right to get away with, or creating anew with what remains to make the world a better place.

Or go to hell?

Will you listen, look, feel for the signs of change and act? Or stubbornly dig in, waiting for the hurricane to change everything for you?

Either way the only constant is change, and the only way forward is through.

Cheers! But with water, because in the process of opening my eyes to my own signs of change, I’m heading into another day sober. Something I said would never happen. Another sign not to let stubborn be a barrier to a better time.

Double Cheers!