A Recipe for Compassion 💛🌸

After scrolling and feeling powerless, I reflected on if I die today, something positive I could do within my power.

So, began our new litter picking up ritual, with my trusty pup Eyvie. 🎉👯‍♀️

We collected a bucketful of trash within an hour of our walk. At first, I felt this burning and churning in my being of righteous indignation. How can someone be so ignorant? So careless?! Then I realized that self-righteousness is also a part of the problem we are facing collectively as it only creates more dualistic thinking. “I’m right, you’re wrong” “ I’m better than you” “ You should feel shame.” This has never worked to change anyone’s mind or actions and generally fuels the fires of separation rather than connectivity, and right now more than ever is when we need a community to overcome the obstacles we face globally.

🌿I began to notice a trend while picking up trash. We weren’t finding organic juice bottles or packaging that contained healthy snacks. The trash I continued to find were alcohol bottles, fast food, Quick Trip large gulps, cigarette wrappers, energy drinks. People poisoning and dishonoring their own temples, apathy that is so engulfing that they are outwardly spewing this upon anything they stumble across. Soul sickness and disconnection. That is when righteous indignation turned to empathy.

🌿I understand apathy, depression, the feeling of being overwhelmed. To think that someone is so disconnected that they don’t see the value or cherish nature broke my heart for them, as anytime these feelings surface I seek out reconnection with nature. My teacher, mother, and friend.

What turned into “ maybe if I die 💀 today at least I can create space for beauty walk” became a “compassion walk”.💛

With every piece of trash, I found instead of turning to rumblings of irritability, I let that go and instead in my mind and sometimes at loud “ I’m sorry, I love you, I hope you find healing.”

Instead of mentally cursing the people who litter, I tried to imagine them finding peace. Of finding the connection to their bodies and learning to honor themselves so that they could in turn honor their Earth.

As a highly sensitive person and introvert, protesting is not as aligned with my natural energy. However, I do believe that there are many ways for positive change to happen, and revolution in smalls acts of service done with love and compassion for the community, changes that can make a ripple. Planting the smallest seeds that can then take on a life of their own.

If you are reading this and are feeling overwhelmed as though you are unsure of what to even do here is a recipe.

*****Compassion Walk Ingredients****

*Bucket or bag,

* Reusable gloves or trash scooper ( if not available get creative)

* If you have a furry companion and it’s not too warm bring them along

* A funky outfit if you feel like getting creative

Step one: Take a deep breath, and stroll instead of scrolling, let your mind take in the wonders and curiosity all while finding trash

Step two: When you feel the rumblings of self-righteous while cleaning trash, feel that feeling, then let it go, either out loud or mentally come up with a mantra, and feel free to switch it up some examples

“I’m sorry, I love you, I hope you find peace.” “I honor you, I hope you find health”

Keep mindful of your breathing when you start losing your belly breath reconnect

I plan on making this a daily ritual as long as I am kicking around on this Earth, and if anyone in the area feels physically distancing and joining please let me know.

Now more than ever is when we need to align our thoughts and feelings with positive action, please do not let yourself grow weary, apathetic, or disconnected. Keep fighting to be present, to find ways in which you can use your skills and abilities for change.

I love you, I honor you, I cherish you.