Fly Away

(Artist credit:  Jim Warren)

Those of us who are fans of the late John Denver, continue to be inspired by his call to environmental action and awareness.  The soul of his songs is a message to all souls:  to take care of your Earth and all that inhabit it.

One song that comes to mind for me right now in the midst of not just the Gulf oil spill disaster, but all the various other events taking place around the globe such as clubbing harp seals in Canada, the killing of whales and dolphins without conscience or remorse from Japan, the dumping of garbage into our local parks, beaches, rivers, and anywhere anyone is too lazy to wait for a trash can to dump it into.  That song is Fly Away.

John Denver speaks of how losing ourselves in the high rises can make you hungry for things you can't see, or life in the city makes one miss the sounds, sights, and smells of the sea.

Without nature feeding our souls, we are a lonely people.  Life teems from every pore in every facet related to all the nature around us, everywhere.  People seem to either forget that or take it for granted.

Imagine if you had no access to hiking trails to see a meadow blooming with spring flowers.  Or a walk on a sandy seashore to hear sea gulls all around you or whales and dolphins off in the distance.  Or not being able to dive among the bright and varied colors of the coral reefs that are currently endangered.  Or never seeing a beautiful butterfly flitting around your head in joy.  Or ceasing to ever witness a laughing child romping in the waves or ever picking up an insect to bring you home a "gift."

These are just a few small examples of the great world of nature.  And without it, we would truly be a very sad and depressed world.  Nature gives us life.  It feeds our spirits.  It gives us food.  It allows our eyes to rest on such amazing beauty that unless your soul is truly deadened, it makes your heart soar and sometimes brings happy tears to your eyes.  It inspires you to dance, fall in love, sing a song, write a story, or simply to just be.

Springtime is a season of hope and of renewal.  We are always looking for the spring, the sounds of laughter from children and the signs of love from people.

Will we ever see a day when the majority of humanity on our planet Earth cease to take her and her gifts for granted?  Or will the time come when it's too late to save her, and therefore too late to save ourselves?

Take some time to stop and smell a flower.  Walk barefoot in the grass or on a sandy beach.  Romp with your children and/or dogs in a park and watch the simple yet profound joy they don't take for granted.  Hike a mountain trail to a favorite spot and take a few moments of silence and drink in all that is surrounding you.  Dive into the ocean and say hello to all the colorful, rich, and vibrant life that shares this world with you.  Wave to a whale, dolphin, seal, shark, manatee, etc that you see in the great blue.

We are all part of this global ecosystem.  We should be giving thanks for it instead of continuing to destroy it in the name of temporary greed and profit.  After all, once our beautiful and precious Earth is exhausted with all of her gifts, all the greed and money in the world will not matter one iota.

The only place to Fly Away is here.  This is your home.  Please treat it as such and inspire others to love and respect it too.  Trust me she will return that a million times over.