Advice to my Daughter...Post 9

My dear Ruby.... happy fall! Officially autumn began yesterday. It was near 100 degrees here today, with a mini-heat wave as summer refuses to let go...and it makes life a bit harder, because it is literally too hot to be outside.

Being outside is one of your favorites. You love the beach. You love the redwoods. You love the mountains. You love a good creek in the forest. You love a playground, or a bike ride, or collecting acorns, or picking flowers, or chasing turkeys, or running through puddles... you love to be outside.

And your love of the natural world inspired my blog advice for this month.

September Advice: Respect the Natural World.

Right now, you live with two people who LOVE to be outside. We love hiking, and exploring, and we connect best with each other when we are fresh off a trail, or over a good campfire. I can think of no smell that makes me feel more at peace than the smell of ponderosa pine needles in the warm sun. Nothing invigorates my senses in the way that a walk down the coast does. And so far, by default, you seem to feel this way about being outside as well.

But it isn't our goal to raise a mini-Brock or mini-Lexie (no matter how much you might be one or the other at moments right now). Our goal is to raise you to be your own person, with your own loves and opinions. And so one day, you might not love being outside as much as you do now.

But that is OK. Really.

My advice isn't to always love the outdoors. My advice is to respect it.

Mama Earth is a beautiful, strange, awesome, fearful creation. She is full of stunning places, wild beasts, insane weather, and while you don't always need to embrace her, you need to show her respect.

Don't litter. Pick up trash whenever you can. Recycle and reuse, because our resources are limited. Don't leave the lights on, or water running. Close the fridge.

You don't have to hug the trees. You don't have to save the bees, or clean the seas. But do not make them worse. Show the natural world around you respect and kindness. And if you feel like hugging a tree, that is ok too!