Monday Meditation

Last week I picked up my long awaited Ford Maverick hybrid pickup truck. It is the first new vehicle I've had in quite some time. I'm still getting used to it and it might be a little while before I have a good grasp on how everything works. It is probably a good thing that Ford has left off some features in order to keep the price point lower. I'm still a pretty low tech kind of guy.

The thing that I have most been looking forward to is the energy saving of the hybrid engine. It would certainly be more beneficial if we lived in a more urban setting. While driving around Central Illinois (where I took delivery) I was getting around 40-45 mpg. The 400+ mile drive home brought the average for the first full tank of gas down to just under 35 mpg.
The short drive to the convenience store (2 miles) on Saturday didn't use any gas at all as the electric motor managed the entire short, slower speed trip.

One of the interesting dash features shows when the truck is functioning as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and when the battery is charging (like going downhill, slowing, or braking).

I'm writing this today because I am contemplating ways to give back to the earth -- or at the very least, to take less. 
More flowers, more plants, and more trees are ways to give back to nature. 
I'll convert some of the 5 acres we own (and mow) to restored meadow land next spring. I'll begin at the treeline and move toward the house. 
I buried some apple cores in the soft, rich, leaf covered soil at the edge of the treeline a week or so ago. Perhaps there will be apples for the deer to enjoy in a few years. I may do that with more seeds and pits in the spring. 

It is impossible to separate myself from nature during my morning meditation time. The birds are chirping and flying around the house and back field. I can hear the neighbors chickens and roosters. The sun is warm and shining into the deck as it makes its way further south each passing day. It won't be long before I'll need to bring the deck plants in and find a place indoors to winter them.

How are you interacting with nature today?
How much are you taking?
How much are you giving back?
Think about the environment around you.
How are we living in harmony with nature?
How are we destroying it?
What can you do -- today -- to help the earth and her creatures have a better environment?

Think about it.

John