Reconfiguring

I find it hard to believe that the year is almost at an end and I have yet to add to this blog. Quite simply, my lack of action is pathetic. I have no excuse other than I did not feel the need to write and I was just bumming. While this blog has focused on travel observations and photographs, I now feel that I should limit travel ABROAD and reserve it only for very special reasons. An example would be to visit an ailing sibling or a long-awaited family and friends’ reunion. This is not to say that others should do the same. I simply have lost the yen to be footloose in the world and attribute it to my concern for the damage that we are doing to the environment.

There was a certain innocence about travel even just two or three decades ago. The place, the scenery, the food and culture, people, animals – all added up to unique experiences – something I would share with friends and family and in my blog. The environmental impact was barely on my radar. It is now. I am rethinking my footprints very seriously, not just in travel but in how I live the rest of my life. I am not waiting for politicians to facilitate change. I am taking my own action in small ways that I can manage. This is a way to limit the feeling of helplessness and being overwhelmed by forces beyond our control. I am learning and discovering something new all the time. With so much that has gone awry in this world, it is heartening to see young people stand up and lead the way in climate action where adults have fallen woefully short.

We are fortunate enough to have grandchildren. This year saw the arrival of two more. When I cuddle and play with them, I can’t help but wonder what kind of a world they will see when they are grown. That thought has been the biggest motivator to change my ways. I want them to see all the beauties of nature and the wild, to be able to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and to grow up in a hospitable environment – something which was never an issue in my own lifetime. We are facing existential challenges and need a major overhaul of the status quo.  So many of us know this, but inaction is killing us.

So, my friends I will write not so much about physical travels but anything that expands my understanding of this – our wonderful planet Earth.