Spaceship Earth

"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew."
~Marshall McLuhan, 1964

Well, it's around 4 a.m. Sunday morning, and I can see that the Earth Day celebrations have begun. There's a guy across the street hugging a tree. Oh, wait. Now he's hugging a lamppost. And now he's hugging a mailbox. And . . . oooh, now he's hugging the sidewalk.
Well, anyway, it is Earth Day. A day to look with gratitude and appreciation upon this planet that has provided so much for our species since before we first started acting in insurance commercials. (Side note: Geico, that gag's been old for a couple of years now. Let it go.)
It's also a day to think about ways that we can show our appreciation for our mother Earth and to work to preserve the bounty of her resources as well as her beauty. Really, though, we ought to be demonstrating that appreciation and awareness every day of the year.
I grew up on the Southern Ute Reservation here in Colorado, and I remember one day in kindergarten that we were visited in class by one of the tribal elders who told us that the Earth was our mother, and we must protect her and keep her beautiful. For years after that I used to drive my actual mother nuts, because I would come home with my pants pockets full of paper, gum wrappers, bottlecaps, and other bits of litter that I picked up off the ground when I was out playing.
I wish that I could say that I took the same care in conservation now that I did back then, but I fear I don't. If you're anything like me, maybe you could use some of the resources I found at EarthDay.gov. If you have kids, and you would like to inspire them to become more Earth-aware, the way that that tribal grandfather did for one little wolf cub many years ago, the folks over at Kaboose have some fun activities that you and your progeny can do together. If you are a kid who's been reading my blog, then, boy am I sorry. Turn off the computer. Go find mommy. Tell her you've been COR-RUP-TED and she needs to get you into THER-A-PEE right away. (Yes, I said "PEE." Stop laughing and go find your mom, you little rugrats.)
If you haven't already seen it, I suggest putting An Inconvenient Truth in the DVD player today, but don't spend all day on the couch. At some point, go outside, spread your arms wide, look skyward, and, no matter what the weather, just "feel" the wonder of the nature around you. Hey, the guy across the street is up and he's doing just that! . . . and now he's feeling the sidewalk again. Oh well.
Happy Earth Day, everybody.

See if you can find a birthday card on recycled paper to send to Shane Bernier today, too.

And remember, Working runs through April 28 over at the Tramway Theatre. Don't miss it!