The Daily G.I.F.T. from The GratiDude

When I was young, angry(still angry sometimes, working on it), and very idealistic, I used to participate in Civil Disobedience when I found the opportunity both impactful and interesting.

Like the dramatic reading of the Lorax by Dr. Seuss in the backyard of the President of Pacific Lumber. That wasn’t so smart back in 1990, but I “lived to fight another day” as I wrote about here, some months back.

Another time, while supporting the Shoshone Tribe of Southern Nevada, I was arrested protesting the testing of Nuclear Weapons on Native Lands(FYI this no longer happens, it was banned about 30 years ago). I got arrested using the alias Kermit D. Frog…..cuz I like to make people laugh.

In this process, I hung out with many Shoshone Elders, who spoke of the dangers of “building a BIG fire and sitting FAR away from it” as a dangerous way to interact with Mother Nature.

A very “separate” approach.

It’s only over the last few hundred years that we have had the luxury of being able to tell ourselves that we are somehow separate from nature because of our big brains and our ability to manipulate our environment.

For anyone that’s ever been in an earthquake or a big storm, a hurricane, etc. you realize very quickly you are not separate from nature, but with every breath reminded that you are a part of nature inextricably.

Some philosophers and academics believe that the whole concept of being separate was really reinforced through all of the thought leaders with ideas like Descartes who opined “ I think therefore I am” instead of “I breathe therefore I am a part of nature”.

Those are very different perspectives if you meditate on it.

Now that I have you aligned with my thinking that we are a part of nature, you should have a heads up on the massive tick in the cicada population that is happening this summer.

This from our Family Photo Album, little GratiKid having a summer snack back in 1974. Great protein summer, big Cicada release that year, too! #crunchyummy

I don’t wanna bug you out or anything, but the cicadas are coming.

Which means the birds are going to be fat.

Which means your car is going to get pooped on.

So I’m buying stock in the national car wash company Tommy’s Car Wash.

Because with all those cicadas and all that protein being pumped into the echo system, that poop has to go somewhere and my car seems to be an easy target.

It’s big and white, and the poop shows up immediately as if my car is moving artist’s  canvas for all of the feathered flapping bombers.

I am One with the Poop.

Well, the news and media and all the information out there tries really hard to get us pointed at all. The scarcity information being provided relative to economic systems global disagreements being settled through violence and things of that nature, however, I choose to close my eyes and listen for the cicadas and start to think about the impact of what that might look like on the forest floor as tiny baby birds are dragging cicadas to go eat that are just as big as them.

And then, what about all the predator birds that are absolutely gonna need to go on Weight Watchers at the end of this summer after consuming all of the animals that are getting fat off of all the other animals eating all the cicadas.

Thank you cicadas for driving the entire ecosystem and forgiving the forest the equivalent of a giant Wall Street Bull Run of Insect base Protein to give every single animal, a big belly and an Attitude of Gratitude.

EVERY DAY:

Love

and

Gratitude

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