Canoeing Anyone?

I’ve always loved canoeing and kayaking too. My friend Barb O and I kayaked down the Canon River awhile back. Another friend, D, invited me kayaking for the day at Lebanon Park – also fun.

As teenagers we used to rope our canoe on top of the family station wagon and head off to the nearest lake – usually Nokomis, but sometimes Lake of the Isles. Canoe trips to the Boundary Water Area (BWCA) were always something I loved. Two weeks and you may not see another living soul. But pull your canoe onto an island at night, or bears may come to investigate your campsite.

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Earth Day

Photo R. Meshar

On the heels of Earth Day it’s important to stop and think. We are all connected. Forming one’s conscience isn’t about blindly following the rules. Instead it’s about asking, “whose rules?” or “who makes them and why?”

It’s about developing enough empathy to care about others and the planet with the way one lives, the life work one does and the policies and politics one supports.

More than an “Earth Day” we need an earth life. This requires ongoing education. Read. Read. Read. Learn more.

Watch Annie Leonard’s videos online: “Story of Stuff” and “Story of Bottled Water”

Recommended books to request from your library include Charles Eisenstein’s Sacred Economics, or Michael Pollen’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

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Walking in Spring

Do you go walking? I try and walk at least once a day. Best, of course, is 10 minutes, three times a day. Where I live in Minnesota there are many paths, lakes and rivers. As it happens I live along the Minnesota River, a great place to walk.

There is a secret lake near our house. We walk there often. It looks different every time – always changing.

Photo A. Meshar

Aspens, shimmering in the wind.

Violets underfoot.

Photo A. Meshar

Perhaps a little canoeing?

Photo A. Meshar

Wild flowers in bloom.

Photo A. Meshar
Photo A. Meshar

Did you enjoy this short walk by the lake?

Photo A. Meshar

This post was originally published 6-1-11.