A Day for Gaia

We are waiting for rain. Stella has been waiting for rain for a year. The days it comes she dons her full regalia in joy. Sometimes she is sure it will rain, she suits up for it regardless of outcome. In California, we don't have rain for several months in a row. It has taken me years to adjust to the subtle- and not so subtle (rain v. no rain, duh)- seasonal changes. There are still days when I completely lose my bearing. Is is Fall? Spring? I begin looking for Jack O' Lanterns or Easter Eggs as a clue.

Today the sky is thick and the dust at the dog park has a little less loft. I want the rain to fall today. Earth Day. The idea of a day to raise awareness and protest environmental destruction was born right around when I was- the Fall of 1969. I like to imagine early 1970. Parents looking ahead into their grand children's lives, young students with a new agenda, confused politicians. All looking out for the Gaia, looking out for us. And here we are. 37 years later. Today's Earth Day is more about community clean up, fun festivals, and recycling lessons than protest. Pollution, pesticides, extinction- these problems have not gone away, but Earth Day is no longer known for demonstration and protest. The original organizers have action items, so go get busy.