“Do not hope; instead, observe.” - Flora from “Flora & Ulysses” by Kate DiCamillo.
We have so many hopes. For our kids, for our communities, for the world we share. And sometimes those hopes can sustain us and inspire us. Sometimes hope becomes an action, compelling us to create beauty, to love, and to overcome.
But hope is not a place where we can live. By its nature, hope is future-oriented, a not-yet-realized dream to fulfill. And so we must remember to observe too. Observe the present, observe the everyday, observe each other, observe the world all around.
Our children are intuitive experts in observation. They observe us — our actions, our words, our mannerisms. They observe nature and its many gifts. Their senses are alive with curiosity and wonder. They very much live in the present.
And maybe we, the grown-ups, should too. After all, when facing the challenges of our changing earth and thinking of what we are leaving behind for the generations to follow, it is easy for us to feel hopeless. Perhaps, however, we need to begin observing, not hoping.
We can observe nature, observe our impacts upon it, observe its beauty. We can help our children fall in love with nature — through simple acts of playing outside, digging in the dirt, hiking and biking, and just being present with the wonders before us.
We can embrace our being as part of nature itself. We must change the way we view ourselves and our relationship to each other and to this world. Once we see ourselves as inextricably linked to the natural world, then we can become part of the solution.
Preserving nature means turning inwards. It is part of us, we are part of it, and that realization leads to progress.
So let us observe. It will move us one step closer to our hopes.