Back to Basics

Anger. Frustration. Guilt. Uncertainty. Fear. These emotions can consume us. However prevalent though, they should never serve as a guide. Instead, inspiration, conviction, confidence, assuredness, and happiness should take the lead. We know these emotions would better serve us, but how do we hold on to them in this competitive and unforgiving world?

I say, for this week's One Small Thing,

Find Someone to Admire

Admiration forces us to look outward. Our unconsciousness shifts away from something we wish we were not (angry, frustrated, insecure) to something we wish we were (happy, confident, secure). None of us will ever be perfect nor should we try, but as we look for the qualities we admire in others, we are apt to find them in ourselves.

Admiration as a course of action to reverse negative feelings, I believe, is underutilized. It can be seen as a sign of weakness. Some may think that to admire means the other person is better, more deserving, and more successful. Business advisers prefer to use the term "mentor," putting the one being admired in a position of control. "Find a mentor," they say, as if there are big-brother types walking around your neighborhood, waiting for you to call.

I do believe in the power of mentorship, but I am writing with a different message, one that reminds us it's good to have someone to "regard with wonder, pleasure, and approval," as my Random House dictionary defines the term "admire." Admire does not mean "mimic or "try to duplicate;" it means "like."

When we busily push ourselves to work more and achieve more in a quest to satisfy the whole of society – a monster with an insatiable appetite – we set ourselves up for failure. We also take the pleasure out of the approval when it comes, stating emphatically, "it's about freakin' time." Achievements aren't all they're wrapped up to be if we cannot define the purpose for them. Lacking direction, it's easy to run in circles, leaving us unfulfilled no matter how hard or fast we run.

Articulating the reasons why I should bother to push myself to achieve (beyond the capitalistic messages of which there is no short supply) isn't easy. It can be obvious to me why others want me to act – to vote, to buy, to move, to stop, to rise up, to sit down. – but beyond that, I struggle to understand why I should bother.

Until I remember the people I admire.

John Muir (1838-1914) seated on boulder; naturalist and conservationist who initiated efforts resulting in the creation of Yosemite National Park in 1890. Photo from San Joaquin Valley & Sierra Foothills Photo Heritage Collection via the San Joaquin Valley Library System provided as a contribution to education and scholarship.

I wrote the following to help you find somebody worth admiring:

People Who Came Before Us
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to name a library after person who is dead? All their life they may have worked for the greater good, only to receive little recognition for their efforts until after they're gone.

I think it's because dead people, frankly, are easier to admire. They can't make mistakes anymore. They can't let you down. They can't partake in scandalous or political blunders. Their indiscretions become less important, giving way to qualities that made them memorable.

I also suppose society is more willing to offer its affections to the idea of a person, more than the actual imperfect person. It is a reason literary figures are so well loved. Millions could share their views, but because the writer could articulate those feelings and emotions into ideas on a tangible page, the solitary writer becomes the target for admiration. It's the idea of who they must have been, this person who understood our viewpoint, which becomes the focus for admiration.

This post isn't about the reasons why this is so. It recognizes the phenomena in order to move beyond it and to let it be ok to look in the cemeteries when searching for someone to admire. The deceased are our frontrunners. They already broke the ground and introduced society to our viewpoints. Their legacy can be large -- a sign attached to a modern library -- or it can be small -- the fact that they inspired you, one other person. Let them plant the idea that if they could do it, whatever it was, so can you.

People Around Us
Like dedicating a library, it's difficult to say, "I admire you" to a living, breathing person. Again, I'm not aiming to explain why, but I suppose it is because that saying these words snarls the endearment with commitment. Suddenly, it raises the standard; a standard that must be upheld lest the admiration be lost.

I say admiration need not come with disclosure. You can keep it to yourself just as easily as you can share your praises if you prefer. What's more important is that you acknowledge it in your own mind: I admire my father, my mother, my sibling, my friend, my business associate, and my mentor. Whoever it is, this acknowledgement will bring forth the qualities that you like, giving you strength and purpose, purpose for your own feelings, helping you become more of who you want to be.

And forget the idea that admiration makes you submissive. The best teams are made up of people who admire each other. Everyone who is worthy of true admiration most likely can name the people they admire. The chain continues.

This may all seem obvious, but when in the throws of a society filled with an entertainment industry fascinated with watching other people suffer, or a marketplace in which outperformance is paramount, or a home life where strife is the word of the day, it can seem impossible that there exists anyone worth admiration.

Until we begin to look. Finding someone to admire is a much easier task than that old, easy-to-say advice "think positive," but the results can be the same. We can trick ourselves out of the feelings holding us back and into confidence from knowing that, even if we don't have all the answers and haven't done everything right, there is someone out there who shares (or shared) our ideals, someone we deserve to be connected to if only in thought.

People I admire
If you're still stuck, consider these two examples. I must admit, I'd prefer to keep my admirations secret. For a third time, I have no explanation as to why this is. Maybe it's shyness; maybe it's because I don't want to be challenged on something so personal. Whatever the reason I offer these for you anyway, so you can see that the person need not be perfect or even someone you ever knew.

These two standouts who come to mind are both in the deceased category.

____________________

One is an old boss. His name was Edwin L. Knetzger, Jr., the former president of Johnson & Higgins insurance in Philadelphia. He was never really my boss, but the father of the owner of the company I worked for. He and I were very different people, and I never had a desire to be exactly like him, but he had qualities so exceptional, I will forever think of him when I need a boost of enthusiasm and drive for success.

Ed was the kind of man whose obituary was printed in The New York Times. I am not his sole admirer.

Ed had written a book called "About Winners." He published it himself, long before the age of self-publishing, because he was unwilling to make adjustments needed to make it marketable. It had to be in his words. He did acknowledge, however, that he borrowed some of those words from people he admired.

"About Winners" is a booklet really. As the forward states, he wrote it because he hoped it would be a stimulant. "That it will start some creative and competitive juices flowing. If it helps you to sharpen the focus on your own personal strategies and goals, it will be a success."

The booklet goes on to suggest advice I would never have taken in a million years. This includes burning the midnight oil, working until two o'clock in the morning, "ignoring the dictates of common sense," until the work ethic gets the best of you, then take a vacation.

So even though I would not have followed Ed's chosen path (I didn't in fact when I turned down his offer to help me go to college), I admired his enthusiasm, his drive, his courage, his generosity, and his style.

I learned at Ed's funeral that he began every morning kneeling in a pew -- another difference between Ed and me. But by getting to know the person I looked up to, even after death, I could better understand how he found the strength to remain so energetic, right up until his death at age 78.

He spoke outwardly about his observation towards amateurs and losers, but he made it known that his focus was professionals and winners. He closed his book with this phrase: Have the courage to be a winner. Go for it.

____________________

The other stand out is John Muir, pictured above. I knew little of the name until I traveled to California for my honeymoon in 1994. I walked on Muir Beach, marveled at the trees in Muir Woods, and began to wonder about a man who had so many wonderful, natural places named after him.

Redwood grove, Muir Woods, circa 1910. Photo courtesy of Marin County Free Archives

Like Knetzger, I suspect Muir and I were quite different. I never wanted to take such outdoor risks, and I have never been so dedicated to tedious botanical and scientific studies, but when I read historical accounts of his opinions, garnished from the margins and scribblings of his unpublished work, I nearly cried. There, on the page, from a man who lived 200 years ago, were written words describing my innermost feelings, feelings that I may never have the guts to express openly to a society that shuns the idea of conservation in favor of capitalism, feelings that go against the grain of society as much in Muir's day as in mine, feelings that in all my drafts and revisions will unlikely be articulated as well as the man who was willing to take risks and study tediously.

Muir's life ended, alone, in a California hospital. He had recently lost a conservation battle over Hetch Hetchy, a valley he dearly loved, a valley that was eventually dammed for San Francisco's water supply. Despite the failure's heavy blow, Muir never gave up hope. He hoped for Nature's future and the people in it. And as I learn more about the man I admire, I hope to understand how he found the strength to go on in this competitive and unforgiving world.

The Write Beat's "One Small Step a Week" series offers suggestions for simplifying life in order to slow down, reconnect with Nature, and live in a way that is in better harmony with our surroundings.

It's now safe to say that most Americans are tired of guzzling gas. I've dreamed of the day when it would end, since before I could even drive. Knowing the perils of oil consumption, I'm still forced to participate in the process. All these years later, with no alternatives in place, in a country that refuses to entertain solutions not tethered to resource exploitation, I must still get in my car, turn the key, and contribute to the problem.

Therefore, this week I will try this One Small Thing:

Leave the Keys on the Hook

There are many people like me who have wanted to be rid of oil for decades. Then there are those who got shocked into caring after the September 11th attacks. Some had their senses rocked by the BP Horizon blowout. Lots just just hate current gas prices. Add these people together, and the sum is large enough to realistically make a change. Sadly, we can't seem to agree on what that change should be.

For 40 years I've watched alternative ideas come and go. Even the best solutions cannot seem to break through the wall of business-as-usual, a barricade built with the bricks of unconscionable profit. Meanwhile, for all these years ... and for today ... and for tomorrow ... there remains an alternative we all have access to. With the possible exception of the physically disabled, we each have the ability to create power. It costs nothing, and in doing so we can add longevity, health, and morale. It's called human power.

As a simple solution, it comes it two forms:

The first is movement. Walking, running, pedaling, rowing -- whatever it takes to transport us to our destination. How ludicrous is it that we burn gas to carry our bodies to a gym where we turn on an electric treadmill, underneath electric lamps, listening to electrified music or watching a plugged-in TV, with the sole intention of moving our bodies to gain exercise? Why not just bike to the gym? Or the post office? Or the bank? Or hook the turbines up to the treadmill to, at the very least, power the gym lights?

OK, I know the answers. Remember, I've been watching this for years. I live in rural America, with its narrow and curvy back roads, where biking to the post office is risking my life. Safety, weather, payload, and time are all reasons to push the concern to the back of my mind and fire up the engine.

Regardless, we could use a little challenge one in awhile. We can make a conscious decision to the leave the vehicle key unused as often as possible. Then, we might meet a neighbor on our quick jaunt down the street, and we'll definitely get a little exercise - no membership card required.

The second is brainpower. Plain, old-fashioned thinking. Act as as if you didn't own a car. What would you do? Carpool? Borrow one for a day's worth of errands, done in a big loop, an efficient route planned in advance? Or, would you just stay home and cook what's already in the fridge?

I'm not giving up on my dream, but I am loosing hope that the alternative -- the thing that comes along to replace the gas-powered vehicle -- may not be much better than we've got. In 1812, in 1912, and in 2012, the profiteers have clenched their claws into everyday life. Our condition is not entirely their fault, but they are directly responsible for the frustration and the guilt that I must live with as I participate in an action I despise.

I will continue to support anyone and everyone who is doing everything they can to find an acceptable alternative. I know an inventor who has built a power-generating stationary bike, and I hope he is successful in bringing the prototype to fruition soon. And he's just one guy in a million. If we can send a man to the moon, we surely can figure out how to power this country without wrecking it.

But in the meantime, one of the best things I know I can do, whenever humanly possible, is to simply leave the keys hanging on their designated hook in my kitchen.

The Write Beat's "One Small Step a Week" series offers suggestions for simplifying life in order to slow down, reconnect with Nature, and live in a way that is in better harmony with our surroundings.

The idea of frost and snow is fast becoming a distant memory. Planting season is here.

That's why this week's One Small Thing is:

Know What You Plant

There are many reasons why we garden: food, beauty, recreation, real estate value, etc. No matter why we do it, we must be mindful of our impact. We must recognize that we are influencing life. Born from tiny seeds, plants are powerful things.

Many profit-focused commercial enterprises are at the ready, hoping you'll buy their plants. Like putting fancy packaging on junk food, greenhouse workers have taken perennials and biennials and dressed them up for sale day. They may be in fancy pots, in a state of forced bloom, or have a shiny ribbon tied around them. Single varieties are displayed en masse, accentuating the color, hiding the individual flaws, like zebras banding together with other zebras so their prey cannot pick out the weak.

The consumer must be wary of the enterprise that treats a plant like a commodity instead of the living being it is.

Garden magazines do give tips for inspecting plants beyond their wrapper or display. They tell buyers to assess leaves and peak at the roots, but they rarely ask us to consider the species -- the kind of the plant we are selecting -- for the location we are planting it in. Yes, they advise us to match the plant to the current conditions (sun, shade, wet, dry), but what about what Nature wants?

Nature has different plants growing in different places. For instance, palm trees do not grow in Pennsylvania. Naturalists take excursions to see magnificent plants growing miles from home. The variety and placement adds a cherished wonderment, a certain mystery, and a sense of discovery to life.

Transplant the palm tree to a winter environment, and it will die without excessive human intervention. But what happens when we move a plant to a place that is even more forgiving than its original home? It thrives. And it stands to gain an unfair advantage over all the varieties that were there before. When that happens, it becomes what is called an invasive, a foreigner who moves in, takes over, and stomps the mystery out of the original landscape.

A prime example of an invasive plant can be seen tangled in the trees, like a single-species topiary. Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), purposely introduced, is now nicknamed, "the plant that ate the south." It chokes out other plants, even trees, like a bully on a playground. You could say it's evil, but it simply became stronger in its new location. Take the bully out of elementary school and put him on the New York City streets, and he won't act so tough and cruel anymore. Take the invasive plant back to its native environment, where it must compete with its worthy peers and climate, it will not be so effective in its natural desire to spread and thrive.

The plants themselves are not the problem. The problem is the human ability to change the environment, rapidly, without warning. Nature needs generations to make adjustments; it does not respond well to instant change.

What is invasive here, now, was once native somewhere else, and not all invasives are unsightly vines. Many came to America because gardeners wanted to bring their beauty to this new home.

Since the environment was an evolved and tricky thing, the plants did not react as the European gardeners expected. Bully plants jumped the garden fence and dominated, like the biggest kid in class, the kid who ate more that the others, the kid who towered over even the teacher, the kid whose annoying voice could be heard down the hall when everyone was supposed to be studying quietly.

Of course, the bully could be controlled to some degree by an authority who was willing to give constant attention to just one organism. But while every garden is planted with good intentions, the potential for abandonment always exists.

Many gardens were started because the gardener wanted to be outdoors, in a beautiful setting, where birds and other visitors came. People of all ages and backgrounds spend time away from society's chaos, thinking about life on Earth, in a garden.

There, we cannot ignore the bigger picture. We know the sun must shine, the water must fall, and the bee must visit, otherwise our young plant will not reach its potential. What we may not know is that the young plant in our care might not be as innocent as it looks. That potential we hope for may become sinister. If we don't understand its species, we could likely be adding hostility to the one place we really want peace.

The only way to ensure the selections we make are not going to turn into noxious weeds is to investigate the species -- by the Latin name -- before we plant. The time it takes to do the research is far less than the time it takes to remove a mistake, an error that can put at risk tender, delicate varieties cherished by the local birds and other wildlife, an unintended consequence of our desire for beauty.

Complicated as this may all sound, it comes down to one simple task: know what you plant. Do not buy plants on impulse. Find and carry a list of invasives with you when you shop. Buy only from native plant nurseries, where you can ask the staff questions about your purchase. (Aggressive natives are possible too, but much less likely). Use forethought and plan your garden. The species may not be in full display at the time you buy it, so use the wealth of garden-planning tools online to find the color, beauty, and real estate value you want, without buying the junk in fancy packaging.

Even the scrupulous enterprises that sell only vibrant, healthy plants rarely understand what will happen to the ecosystem when you plant it in your yard. It's up to you to seek out the knowledge. If you don't know what you're planting ... if you haven't confirmed that it will not bully the plants growing naturally alongside the nearby field, forest, and parkway ... then don't plant it.

Resources for more information:

Examples of commonly sold invasives in Pennsylvania:
(Fact sheets supplied by www.paflora.org)

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicariai L.)
Purple Loosestrife is categorized by as a Noxious Weed in Pennsylvania by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

Orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)

Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.)

Science-minded plant suppliers in PA
Both contain informational plant lists.
Edge of the Woods Nursery
Bowman Hill Nursery
Search out local Native Plants Sales in your area, often in conjunction with your local arboretum or cooperative extension.

Nationwide information
EPA Website

Photo notes: The photos pictured here were not taken in a garden. They are all shots of naturally growing plants in the wild areas of my Pennsylvania yard. To avoid spreading misinformation, I have not identified them ... species identification is tricky and specific. Latin names must be used to ensure identification accuracy. These are simply examples of wild-growing, beautiful plants, that are currently living peacefully among each other.

The Write Beat's "One Small Step a Week" series offers suggestions for simplifying life in order to slow down, reconnect with Nature, and live in a way that is in better harmony with our surroundings.

It's no secret that I love trees.

Where I live (Pennsylvania), today (April 27, 2012) is a holiday for trees, so this week's One Thing is:

Celebrate Arbor Day

• Send a card through the Arbor Day Foundation's Give-A-Tree^R Cards
• Visit Trees Are Good and learn what an ISA Certified Arborist is, and why its important to consult one when you have tree questions.
• Educate yourself on proper tree maintenance.

What a tree really needs may not be what you think. That's because there are pervasive tree-care myths, myths that spread from neighbor to neighbor, landscaper to homeowner, and even tree service to business owner. Even the most well-meaning tree owners, out of love for their trees, often do more harm than good when trying to give extra-special care.

I pulled the following from an article I wrote in 2010. It was written for property owners so that they could recognize problems with their tree care service. Warren Jacobs, certified arborist for more than 30 years at Jacobs Tree Surgery in Montgomery County contributed the information saying. “I see these all the time.” To his eye, these represent improper care. Meanwhile, many misinformed tree owners don't understand how deadly these can be. So just because you see it done this way by people who claim to be professionals, never mimic these mistakes...number five being the most common:

"How to Tell if Your Trees are in Trouble," article excerpt:

1.) Improper depth. A healthy tree flares out where the trunk meets the roots. If this flare is buried, the tree has been planted too deeply, and the main root system will rot at a depth where oxygen is not present. The tree might sprout roots in an attempt to survive, but it’s unlikely that it will thrive. Look for lollipop trunks with no flare.

2.) Burlap left on new plantings. Burlap is used to wrap a root ball for transport. The presence of unremoved burlap indicates the root ball was neither inspected by the installer nor was the root structure taken into account when determining the planting depth.

3.) Abandoned stakes. Staking is a corrective measure used for various reasons (too often because of poor nursery stock), but these supports must be removed within six months to a year, otherwise their guy wires will choke the tree.

4.) Scars from improper pruning. Every pruning cut is essentially an injury, yet pruning is a necessary measure in tree care. A cut should never leave a stub or slice into the branch collar (where the branch meets the trunk). “Improper cuts have a huge impact on the health of the tree,” said Jacobs. When a cut is made at the wrong place, the tree will wall off an excessive amount of healthy wood in response -- wood that would otherwise be used to transport and store sugar (food) throughout its system. Tree topping is another painful technique. It’s often done to reduce the tree’s size, but in the end, new growth will spout at a chaotic rate and leave you with a poorly shaped, still-too-big, ill tree.

Photo by Warren Jacobs, Jacobs Tree Surgery. Tree topping is a very bad practice.

5.) Mulch volcanoes. “Mulch is good, but applied improperly it is bad. Very bad. If it’s mounded into a volcano around the tree it causes root girdling and disease and eventually death,” said Jacobs. The practice of trenching to define the volcano’s circumference magnifies the problem. Roots exist just below the surface, so a 6-inch dig will cut or damage those roots.

Photo by Warren Jacobs, Jacobs Tree Surgery. Abandoned stakes and mulch volcanoes, "professionally" done.

[end excerpt]

Mulching under the entire canopy is good practice, but only at an even depth of two to four inches, leaving space between the mulch and the trunk. Pruning is good when necessary. And planting a tree, at the proper depth, is what Arbor day is all about. However, the trees want you to learn how to love them properly, and you can learn how to do that at www.treesaregood.org.

The Write Beat's "One Small Step a Week" series offers suggestions for simplifying life in order to slow down, reconnect with Nature, and live in a way that is in better harmony with our surroundings.

Therefore, since Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day, this week's One thing is:

Stop to remember the origins of
Earth Day

The beginnings of this event date back to the 1960s, a time when the entire country was engaged in numerous battles over right and wrong. People were speaking up. A few of them brought the topic of Earthly care and respect to the frontlines, winning them the title, The Founder of Earth Day.

Numerous people claim Earth Day was their idea. Even Ira Einhorn (a.k.a The Unicorn Killer), who was convicted of stuffing his dead girlfriend in a closet, has claimed a role as the founder of this monumental event. More accurately though, figures such as John McConnell and Senator Gaylord Nelson created the actual framework and launch.

I believe one of the reasons for the uncertainty over who is responsible for idea is that we ALL own it -- at least those of us who care deeply. A day in celebration for our planet? If it didn't already exist, then who among us wouldn't have suggested it sooner or later?

What matters most is the existence of a grassroots culture in the 1960s, 1970s, and nearly every other decade in American history that affirmed the Earth deserves its day. What matters is, through education, volunteerism, activism, conservation and more, we continue to act on this affirmation, not because we want our names in the record books, but because our hearts tell us it is the right thing to do.

Whether you engage in activities on Sunday, or simply act respectfully every day of the year, history shows you are part of something big -- something historical -- something progressive -- something simple -- something complicated. You are part of a huge culture that cares about nature. This week, celebrate you, and all the "Founders of Earth day" (excluding, if you prefer, old Ira Einhorn).

Photo taken off a cliff on Monhegan Island, Maine.

The Write Beat's "One Small Step a Week" series offers suggestions for simplifying life in order to slow down, reconnect with Nature, and live in a way that is in better harmony with our surroundings.