Welcome, 2007.

So, today we start a new year. I am pretty excited about the prospects – each year I feel I am climbing a mountain, with the strains and rewards that brings. For a while now in my climb I have been “above the treeline”, where I can see more and enjoy my journey with fewer snags and dangers. Now I am really getting closer to the top, where I can see out over everything and enjoy even more clarity in my view. What does this mean to me for 2007 and the years beyond?

2006 was my year to understand and embrace a shift in my priorities. I was able to spend more time with my parents and this gave me much more joy and satisfaction than I ever envisioned. I spent more time with the horses and dogs and I am internalizing how animals, with their simplicity, lack of deception and appreciation of the most basic things, are in many ways much superior to us. My desire to be more eco-friendly with recycling, energy conservation, etc. is turning into a full blown concern for what we are doing to our environment and all the creatures who live here. I have increased the time I devote to reading about macro economics and this has made me even more politically aware as I better understand how the US policies affect delicate balances for not only other countries, but for ourselves.

Now that I have seen more of “the light”, what might I do differently in 2007?

I would like to become much more educated about sustainable living – from eating locally grown foods, to learning more about the nuts and bolts of renewable energy (preferably setting up some small projects here at the house that are not only educational, but contribute to lessening my carbon footprint as well). I’d like to figure out some ways to have my plot of land here be more productive and self sustaining. The animals should be able to contribute too, though I am not (yet) exactly sure how. I want to better understand why Virginia and Va. Tech are not taking a more aggressive leadership role in renewable energy and agribusiness. After all, this is one of the top agricultural and engineering schools in the country, and set in a place where farmers are trying to survive. Why the hell aren’t we leveraging that? If Iowa, Colorado and California can take some initiative, why can’t we?

These are the things that excite and motivate me and I want to figure out how to make this a focus for my future.

We are supposed to be the caregivers for our planet and its inhabitants. It is as if we have been told “you need to look after your little brother/sister”. And instead of worrying about how best to care for the one who cannot care for himself or herself, we are focused on figuring out ways to take advantage, for our own greedy benefit. This is not right, and it is not smart. It needs to stop. We all need to help, starting with me.