Me too. I’m currently on a medical leave and can do maybe a third of what I used to be able to do effortlessly. I’m trying to have the mindset that the things I CAN do, I’ll do with greater intention.
I like that! Intention and a deliberateness around what is possible. Illness and ageing catch us all at some point, it is kind of hilarious how frustrated and shocked I am that I can't work like I used to when I was 20. Lol.
Great discussion here, so valuable to identify the thinking that can sap and paralyse and what inspires and energises. I also love the way your conversation is a process which ends up with a dynamic model. My climate actions over the years have changed a lot in form and focus. Both what’s happening in the world and in my life are part of my changes. Right now I am deciding to drop being involved in so many different orgs and spending so much time in online meetings, so I can tend lovingly to Mother Earth gardening daily in my local park , this will bring me a lot of joy and revive my spirits. Much needed !
Thank you Sally, I love how people’s responses to our conversation are clarifying things even further for me. The identifying things that sap energy - yes, so important but I would not have crystallised that with such clarity, also that the model is dynamic, and that is really important! Thank you for reflecting back to me what is working! I love the change to gardening for you, we absolutely need time to fill our souls in the middle of the work, and then that soul filling work magically changes our other work too. Thank you for being here!
Capacity is a key factor here, thanks for bringing it up. It makes sense and improves the original Venn diagram a whole lot. I worry about climate change but I’ve done very little to impact it in a positive way. Because of poor health my wife and I aren’t able to do much in terms of activity, but we have made a passive contribution by allowing three trees to grow in our backyard. While cutting the grass some years ago I noticed what looked like a tiny tree growing and I refused to cut down what nature had planted in our yard. Today it’s a walnut tree as high as the eaves of our 2 1/2 story house, and it has for company another walnut and a basswood tree as well. I know that’s not much of a contribution, but it’s a start. Thank you for your thoughtful and amusing post!
Ooooh, but if you think of how many critters are alive because of your decision to leave the tree be, that's not tiny at all. I wonder sometimes, if climate action is really more about the mindset than the things we do. Although I do think the mindset and actions feed each other. Your tree is there as a constant reminder of the value of everything that lives.
I love the story of your tree Rafael, thank you for sharing. Whenever I feel what I do is too small, I ask myself, what if everyone else did this same small thing - if everyone allowed 3 large trees in their backyard we would have significantly more biodiverse cities with interconnected wildlife corridors and reduce the fuel costs of cooling in summer. That small, loving action there my friend is a wonderful climate action. Thank you!
This is so beautiful. And it makes me feel like I can make a difference by adding my wagon and wheels for change to yours. We each have different capacities and skills, lets focus on what we can do and join together. What a fantastic collaboration. Your ideas in action!
So glad to read that it was helpful to you Kate! I need to be reminded that I'm part of a larger whole all the time. I don't think we were ever supposed to feel like we needed to make a big difference all on our own.
Thank you Kate! Yes the collab really worked like that - we ended up somewhere neither of us would have got to on our own. So glad it made things feel possible for you!
This is amazing! I just had a good laugh with my therapist because I feel so panicked at the state of things and news that we're not at all on track to hit Paris targets that at moments I spiral into a laughable sort of superman complex. I alone have to fix this! I have to get Ben Shapiro or someone over on that side to listen to me and start understanding the urgency here and make sure we at least stay on track with Biden's climate legislation. I love the venn diagram so much because one thing I did to take action yesterday was to post about my climate anxiety. I'd been almost afraid to say those words and to "own" it but I thought - I am a writer, I love writing, this is within my capacity, and it's a way I can maybe get a few people to think about prioritizing climate. And it really did feel good. I'm so glad to have found this Spark in the Dark.
I see you! So glad you found your way here too! I look forward to sharing this journey with you. The superman egoic complex thing is weird isn’t it - I know the feeling. Something about being in a body and nervous system that evolved for a small village/tribe that has us really feeling powerless in a global community. When I feel like my actions are too small and insignificant, I ask myself, what if everybody did this - the answer is usually that we would change the world! xo
Actually that helps me so much! The village vs. global community. You're right! I guess that goes to the "capacity" piece on your diagram. Because we hear about news from all over it feels like we have to respond to all of it with some global solution when we just can't. Yes, the superman egoic complex is wild. I'm laughing because all night I worried that it might not rain even though the experts were saying rain but somehow I knew best it was going to be a case of unpredictable weather. Of course weather is always unpredictable but it was so silly that I was the expert on something I know nothing about. We would change the world if we all took these "small" actions - and we will! Thank you.
Great post! I've hitched a few wagons :) I often pull different ones then need to switch... There's only so much weight one can bear. But there's always a wagon, even if it's simply ensuring my loved ones are supported and cared for. That wagon bears most of the weight at this time, and while Iook about at the other wagons waiting to take turns, it's one wagon I'll never stop pulling.
Thanks Alia, yes swapping, pausing, reassessing is so good. It is funny that you say you are pulling your wagon - that is what I drew L’il Bean doing too, pulling - efforting, then I laughed out loud when I noticed Betje drew herself riding in the wagon!
I like the idea of the wagons…mine would be the read, connect, imagine one.
As to guilt, it is being deliberately pushed to make us feel responsible…if there was real climate concern ,they would stop all the military activity and private jets going to Cop 29. Governments and Corporations are responsible for desecrating the world and making it uninhabitable.
Having said that , it is wonderful to be doing what you can for your local environment.
Your comment about guilt has been sitting with me all morning - I think you are really right to highlight guilt and shame which are both really low energy emotions and not at all useful in terms of action. There is something here I want to dig into! Thank you.
I can see you with a “read, connect imagine wagon”! What colour would it be? I agree there is a push to guilt from fossil fuel companies - them trying to redirect responsibility. I also agree that greedy extraction and capital growth imperative at all costs via corporations have got us in this mess, and yes, Governments are increasingly in the pockets of big business. That does not stop me from wanting to imagine and take action for a better world - just as you do! xo
This made me smile ..my wagon would be purple with flowers, plants and some birds painted on it…you might be too young to remember a film called Paint Your Wagon 😂
Yes, yes, yes, let’s keep writing, drawing conjuring up and actioning the better world into existence Xx
Gillian , you are right guilt and shame are really low energy emotions, there is plenty to dig into there. I am particularly concerned with how the young are subjected to pressures that can result in guilt and shame.
I am enjoying Becoming Super natural by Dr. Joe Dispenzia as an audio book. He talks about the potency and benefits of cultivating elevated emotional states …such as love, gratitude and awe…at the start of your meditation . He gives plenty of examples and practices plus a lot more …if this interests you. 💖
That sounds like a great book Susan. I tend to fall back to guilt in shame in the choices as make, as it was very much fed to me as an incentive to do things when I grew up. Would love to find a way to free myself of that entiry, so I'll look up that book.
I like that “more nature in urban areas” wagon. Creatures and plants of all kinds find a way to live there regardless, yet a single tree can provide an incredible amount of surface area for creatures to live in/on. (Gets me thinking about if there were plants that would appreciate having wheels, what would they be? And how big could you go with the wagon and plants? Probably too literal.) I remember seeing green plants growing all over the side of a building in Spain and how beautiful that was. Maybe that sort of thing. Or more roofs that people can access together to garden on top. Or using smart mirrors that pivot automatically to reflect heat/light away from buildings or to reflect enough light inside to enable growing plants in apartments otherwise not bright enough.
About plants with wheels, I know there were some people once who put a container garden on the public parking space in front of their house. That wasn't allowed. So they got an old car from the dump yard, put it on the parking space, removed the top and filled it with plants.
Wasn't allowed either, but what a lovely way to point out we should reprioritise our public spaces!
Wow, the lengths we have to go sometimes! Seems like they’d have needed to have the plants growing on their daily use car like Bill Nye the science guy for it to pass muster. I like their imagination and persistence.
I am working on trying to distil my vision into something tangible, that I can work on.. Or perhaps the leading wagon can be the big vision of "human reconnection and 're-relating' with nature", followed by more tangible wagon visions!
I loved seeing how the initial Venn diagram evolved! It was very liberating to see that we don't have to fit into a model/diagram that is given to us and that we can change it into something that is more expansive and generative. Capacity was definitely a key highlight for me as well as honouring what we can each uniquely contribute joyfully. Thank you Gillian and Betje. xx
Thank you Kei! I love that you highlight that this is flexible enough to be expansive and generative. I hadn’t really framed it in those terms, but you are right! I’d love to know what one of your wagons looks like! xo
I'd love to see your wagon too Kei! I've found that when you draw something, it becomes yours and it gives you permission to change it. It really helps me think and assess in a productive way (versus going in the same circles in my head).
Yay for barely competent gardeners! Although I might suggest that we might need to reassess what being “good” at gardening looks like. When I think good at gardening I think manicured lawns, beautiful flower beds, CONTROL. Do I want to be good at gardening like that ? No, I want to be a wild gardener who can encourage an explosion of life - that tends to be messy and not fit our traditional ideas of good gardening. I know on my farm, all the areas of mess I feel bad about are habitat for all sorts of creatures! (Actually, as I write this, I seem to remember you posting something similar!?!)
That is a great point and I did post about this! It's funny how you can spend so much time trying to change how you think about something and still fall into old habits.
HaI I say I'm not good at gardening because I hate to prune (especially if a plant has flowers, I don't have to heart to cut it) so some of the plants take over. And I never know which plants to prune when. But I've found reading about gardening incredibly boring, so I just do whatever and learn as I go.
This was adorable and impactful all rolled into one. I feel like I'm at the intersection of what brings me joy, what skills I can offer and what's needed (ok!! Proof this all sank in bc I can't see the list when typing a comment) but where I struggle is capacity. I give a lot of donated time helping women understand perimenopause because it's so important to me but I don't want to burn myself out in the process. I'm going to have to ruminate (which I know Betje will appreciate) on this. Great article and it seems others agree.
Thank you Shelby! I wish you fruitful rumination! I agree capacity is the tricky part, why do we always want to or think we need to do more? I’ve loved the comments from people on this post it has given me so much more the think about. Thanks for always popping in to say hi! Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving this week :)
Thank you for acknowledging capacity. I feel guilty that I am not doing more even though I want to.
Me too. I’m currently on a medical leave and can do maybe a third of what I used to be able to do effortlessly. I’m trying to have the mindset that the things I CAN do, I’ll do with greater intention.
I like that! Intention and a deliberateness around what is possible. Illness and ageing catch us all at some point, it is kind of hilarious how frustrated and shocked I am that I can't work like I used to when I was 20. Lol.
I’m glad that resonates for you! We all have to be honest about our capacity,-time, physically, financially, emotionally! Xoxo
Great discussion here, so valuable to identify the thinking that can sap and paralyse and what inspires and energises. I also love the way your conversation is a process which ends up with a dynamic model. My climate actions over the years have changed a lot in form and focus. Both what’s happening in the world and in my life are part of my changes. Right now I am deciding to drop being involved in so many different orgs and spending so much time in online meetings, so I can tend lovingly to Mother Earth gardening daily in my local park , this will bring me a lot of joy and revive my spirits. Much needed !
Thank you Sally, I love how people’s responses to our conversation are clarifying things even further for me. The identifying things that sap energy - yes, so important but I would not have crystallised that with such clarity, also that the model is dynamic, and that is really important! Thank you for reflecting back to me what is working! I love the change to gardening for you, we absolutely need time to fill our souls in the middle of the work, and then that soul filling work magically changes our other work too. Thank you for being here!
Capacity is a key factor here, thanks for bringing it up. It makes sense and improves the original Venn diagram a whole lot. I worry about climate change but I’ve done very little to impact it in a positive way. Because of poor health my wife and I aren’t able to do much in terms of activity, but we have made a passive contribution by allowing three trees to grow in our backyard. While cutting the grass some years ago I noticed what looked like a tiny tree growing and I refused to cut down what nature had planted in our yard. Today it’s a walnut tree as high as the eaves of our 2 1/2 story house, and it has for company another walnut and a basswood tree as well. I know that’s not much of a contribution, but it’s a start. Thank you for your thoughtful and amusing post!
Ooooh, but if you think of how many critters are alive because of your decision to leave the tree be, that's not tiny at all. I wonder sometimes, if climate action is really more about the mindset than the things we do. Although I do think the mindset and actions feed each other. Your tree is there as a constant reminder of the value of everything that lives.
Thank you! I would never have thought of that. The fact that you did shows how caring and kind you are!
Thank you Rafael!
Well said!
I love the story of your tree Rafael, thank you for sharing. Whenever I feel what I do is too small, I ask myself, what if everyone else did this same small thing - if everyone allowed 3 large trees in their backyard we would have significantly more biodiverse cities with interconnected wildlife corridors and reduce the fuel costs of cooling in summer. That small, loving action there my friend is a wonderful climate action. Thank you!
This is so beautiful. And it makes me feel like I can make a difference by adding my wagon and wheels for change to yours. We each have different capacities and skills, lets focus on what we can do and join together. What a fantastic collaboration. Your ideas in action!
So glad to read that it was helpful to you Kate! I need to be reminded that I'm part of a larger whole all the time. I don't think we were ever supposed to feel like we needed to make a big difference all on our own.
🙏
Thank you Kate! Yes the collab really worked like that - we ended up somewhere neither of us would have got to on our own. So glad it made things feel possible for you!
This is amazing! I just had a good laugh with my therapist because I feel so panicked at the state of things and news that we're not at all on track to hit Paris targets that at moments I spiral into a laughable sort of superman complex. I alone have to fix this! I have to get Ben Shapiro or someone over on that side to listen to me and start understanding the urgency here and make sure we at least stay on track with Biden's climate legislation. I love the venn diagram so much because one thing I did to take action yesterday was to post about my climate anxiety. I'd been almost afraid to say those words and to "own" it but I thought - I am a writer, I love writing, this is within my capacity, and it's a way I can maybe get a few people to think about prioritizing climate. And it really did feel good. I'm so glad to have found this Spark in the Dark.
I see you! So glad you found your way here too! I look forward to sharing this journey with you. The superman egoic complex thing is weird isn’t it - I know the feeling. Something about being in a body and nervous system that evolved for a small village/tribe that has us really feeling powerless in a global community. When I feel like my actions are too small and insignificant, I ask myself, what if everybody did this - the answer is usually that we would change the world! xo
Actually that helps me so much! The village vs. global community. You're right! I guess that goes to the "capacity" piece on your diagram. Because we hear about news from all over it feels like we have to respond to all of it with some global solution when we just can't. Yes, the superman egoic complex is wild. I'm laughing because all night I worried that it might not rain even though the experts were saying rain but somehow I knew best it was going to be a case of unpredictable weather. Of course weather is always unpredictable but it was so silly that I was the expert on something I know nothing about. We would change the world if we all took these "small" actions - and we will! Thank you.
Great post! I've hitched a few wagons :) I often pull different ones then need to switch... There's only so much weight one can bear. But there's always a wagon, even if it's simply ensuring my loved ones are supported and cared for. That wagon bears most of the weight at this time, and while Iook about at the other wagons waiting to take turns, it's one wagon I'll never stop pulling.
Ah yes, it's great to be aware which wagons we're already pulling, that's easy to forget!
Thanks Alia, yes swapping, pausing, reassessing is so good. It is funny that you say you are pulling your wagon - that is what I drew L’il Bean doing too, pulling - efforting, then I laughed out loud when I noticed Betje drew herself riding in the wagon!
I'll aspire to ride in them 😆
I like the idea of the wagons…mine would be the read, connect, imagine one.
As to guilt, it is being deliberately pushed to make us feel responsible…if there was real climate concern ,they would stop all the military activity and private jets going to Cop 29. Governments and Corporations are responsible for desecrating the world and making it uninhabitable.
Having said that , it is wonderful to be doing what you can for your local environment.
Your comment about guilt has been sitting with me all morning - I think you are really right to highlight guilt and shame which are both really low energy emotions and not at all useful in terms of action. There is something here I want to dig into! Thank you.
I can see you with a “read, connect imagine wagon”! What colour would it be? I agree there is a push to guilt from fossil fuel companies - them trying to redirect responsibility. I also agree that greedy extraction and capital growth imperative at all costs via corporations have got us in this mess, and yes, Governments are increasingly in the pockets of big business. That does not stop me from wanting to imagine and take action for a better world - just as you do! xo
This made me smile ..my wagon would be purple with flowers, plants and some birds painted on it…you might be too young to remember a film called Paint Your Wagon 😂
Yes, yes, yes, let’s keep writing, drawing conjuring up and actioning the better world into existence Xx
Gillian , you are right guilt and shame are really low energy emotions, there is plenty to dig into there. I am particularly concerned with how the young are subjected to pressures that can result in guilt and shame.
I am enjoying Becoming Super natural by Dr. Joe Dispenzia as an audio book. He talks about the potency and benefits of cultivating elevated emotional states …such as love, gratitude and awe…at the start of your meditation . He gives plenty of examples and practices plus a lot more …if this interests you. 💖
That sounds like a great book Susan. I tend to fall back to guilt in shame in the choices as make, as it was very much fed to me as an incentive to do things when I grew up. Would love to find a way to free myself of that entiry, so I'll look up that book.
Sounds super, thank you.
And I think a wagon can have many wheels to keep it moving…
Indeed!
What a beautiful and powerfully useful thread! Thank you. Thank you. I’m thinking about my wagon(s)! ❤️❤️
I’d love to hear about one of your wagons! Thanks for popping in to say hi.
I like that “more nature in urban areas” wagon. Creatures and plants of all kinds find a way to live there regardless, yet a single tree can provide an incredible amount of surface area for creatures to live in/on. (Gets me thinking about if there were plants that would appreciate having wheels, what would they be? And how big could you go with the wagon and plants? Probably too literal.) I remember seeing green plants growing all over the side of a building in Spain and how beautiful that was. Maybe that sort of thing. Or more roofs that people can access together to garden on top. Or using smart mirrors that pivot automatically to reflect heat/light away from buildings or to reflect enough light inside to enable growing plants in apartments otherwise not bright enough.
About plants with wheels, I know there were some people once who put a container garden on the public parking space in front of their house. That wasn't allowed. So they got an old car from the dump yard, put it on the parking space, removed the top and filled it with plants.
Wasn't allowed either, but what a lovely way to point out we should reprioritise our public spaces!
Wow, the lengths we have to go sometimes! Seems like they’d have needed to have the plants growing on their daily use car like Bill Nye the science guy for it to pass muster. I like their imagination and persistence.
This is brilliant! Thank you both for encouraging us to do something useful without adding guilt into our wagons.
Thank you Paulette!
You are welcome! Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it :)
I absolutely LOVE this, thank you! What a positive, inspiring and empowering way to spark action
Thank you Chole, I’m glad you found it empowering! Thanks for letting us know. What does your wagon look like?
I am working on trying to distil my vision into something tangible, that I can work on.. Or perhaps the leading wagon can be the big vision of "human reconnection and 're-relating' with nature", followed by more tangible wagon visions!
I love that big wagon vision! Thank you for your work, it is so important.
I have shared with my network, I hope you don't mind! Is there somewhere I can direct people to your sharings on LinkedIn?
Thank you for sharing Chloe! I'm not very active on LinkedIn either, but feel free to share any of my Substack posts on any network.
That is wonderful, thank you! I don’t really do LinkedIn - I’m there: Gillian Mitchell, but not active. Betje shares some of her work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betjecom/overlay/about-this-profile/
I loved seeing how the initial Venn diagram evolved! It was very liberating to see that we don't have to fit into a model/diagram that is given to us and that we can change it into something that is more expansive and generative. Capacity was definitely a key highlight for me as well as honouring what we can each uniquely contribute joyfully. Thank you Gillian and Betje. xx
Thank you Kei! I love that you highlight that this is flexible enough to be expansive and generative. I hadn’t really framed it in those terms, but you are right! I’d love to know what one of your wagons looks like! xo
I think one of my wagons would be read, love, connect and inspire with the wheels of teaching, dancing, writing and caring. I need to draw it! xo
I'd love to see your wagon too Kei! I've found that when you draw something, it becomes yours and it gives you permission to change it. It really helps me think and assess in a productive way (versus going in the same circles in my head).
Yes! Do draw it, it is very satisfying :)
This is delightful and immanently helpful ❤️. This is indeed what you contribute!!!
Thank you my friend!
This is was a great and thoughtful discussion! I relate in that I'm also someone who gardens as a climate action that I enjoy but am not very good at.
Yay for barely competent gardeners! Although I might suggest that we might need to reassess what being “good” at gardening looks like. When I think good at gardening I think manicured lawns, beautiful flower beds, CONTROL. Do I want to be good at gardening like that ? No, I want to be a wild gardener who can encourage an explosion of life - that tends to be messy and not fit our traditional ideas of good gardening. I know on my farm, all the areas of mess I feel bad about are habitat for all sorts of creatures! (Actually, as I write this, I seem to remember you posting something similar!?!)
That is a great point and I did post about this! It's funny how you can spend so much time trying to change how you think about something and still fall into old habits.
HaI I say I'm not good at gardening because I hate to prune (especially if a plant has flowers, I don't have to heart to cut it) so some of the plants take over. And I never know which plants to prune when. But I've found reading about gardening incredibly boring, so I just do whatever and learn as I go.
This was adorable and impactful all rolled into one. I feel like I'm at the intersection of what brings me joy, what skills I can offer and what's needed (ok!! Proof this all sank in bc I can't see the list when typing a comment) but where I struggle is capacity. I give a lot of donated time helping women understand perimenopause because it's so important to me but I don't want to burn myself out in the process. I'm going to have to ruminate (which I know Betje will appreciate) on this. Great article and it seems others agree.
Thank you Shelby! I wish you fruitful rumination! I agree capacity is the tricky part, why do we always want to or think we need to do more? I’ve loved the comments from people on this post it has given me so much more the think about. Thanks for always popping in to say hi! Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving this week :)