Compost

This day before the holiday known as Thanksgiving, the skies are clear. The temperature is 54 degrees fahrenheit. It has been very steady. And today is Wednesday.

Preparing the papaya, which has a lot of seeds, is a meditation. Finding a fruit that will carry the sweetness of its planting and harvest can be tricky. And cutting it up before it's ripe will miss the delivery of the sweet, fibrous fruit that elders seem to enjoy. As the many little black seeds come tumbling out of the center, and as the outer skin is carefully sliced away, the idea of compost came to mind.

So many things to compost. There's the fruit and food. There are the bits of egg shells and the coffee grinds that need to find their way back into the earth. It is our waste, the earth's nourishment, and ultimately back to us for our survival.

Disturbing to learn that we have failed at keeping the warming of the planet to a level that would give earth's life a chance. The news reports that since the 2015 Paris climate agreement, countries recognized that 42% of emissions from that point in time has to be achieved in order to prevent warming to 1.5 degree celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) - this week, the world hit 2.5 celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Even if we "know" we clearly do not "understand" anything about what is happening.

Composting is just one little thing that each one can do. It doesn't require investment of any kind. It does require a shift in consciousness.

The thing about the word that is so wonderful is that it applies not only to behaviors that have to do with our everyday living, but it also has a lot to offer in giving people a way to get to peace of mind, better health, and greater recognition of the word "interconnected".

We think that it's okay just to flush the shi* that comes out of our bodies, but we don't think about where that stuff is going. We don't consider that what we put into our bodies, if difficult to compost or process internally, must be difficult to process through the sanitation systems that eventually go into our waters, the earth, and eventually back into each one of us.

When it comes to thoughts that burden our souls, we need ways to compost the frustration, confusion, discomfort of knowing that the ideas rolling around in our heads are unhealthy to hold onto for too long. We need healthy ways to discard the ideas that cause regret, pain, internal strife. And aside from expensive therapeutic interventions, sometimes coupled with drugs to numb the mind, there are few places and processes available. We lose connection to self and others.

This is why spaces for sharing in silence, listening without judging, working from kindness as the framework - are so valuable. These shared spaces are not easy to find - they are like hidden gems. And they are waiting to be found and picked up.

Compost is a rich source of renewable energy that leads to richer outcomes in life - it's worth engaging in the process, and to do so before it's too late.