Connectedness

Where it all begins

I spent a large amount of my childhood swimming in the ocean, building mud castles in the sand and exploring imaginary mansions in trees. I count myself super fortunate to have lived so connected to the beauty and wonder of the world around me. To have seen and experienced so much of it.

It doesn’t take much for me to recall the smell of the sand dunes on the coast of South Africa, the warmth of the sea in Barbados or the sound of the wind through the trees on a mountain in Scotland.

As I’ve grown older it makes me sad to think that I’ve become increasingly detached from nature and the wild places in the world. Most days the things that bring me most joy and life are the plants and animals I see – even if those plants are in pots in my house and that animal is my cat Tigger!

Apart from a bit of geography in school I was never really educated about the environment and how connected our lives are with the lives of plants and animals. A few years ago I made friends with a few people who seemed to know more, and cared a lot, about the impact they were having on the environment. They opened my eyes to the damage I was doing as a reckless and infinite consumer on a fragile and finite planet.

Since then I have been asking more questions and making different choices in the hope that my actions will protect and heal the earth for many years to come - so that future generations, and I, can swim in the oceans, play in the sand, and climb oh so many trees!