Do things have to get worse before they get better. This picture is so symbolic of the current state of Kitsilano Beach.

The signs along our beach make me very, very sad. This tells me the water is so unhealthy it can’t do what it needs to do to heal itself. 

I look at all the boats and ships in the inlet and I wonder, is it their fault, are they causing these issues? Or is it the pipes from the storm sewers that lead into the water, they take in all of the run off from the streets when it rains, which ends up here and other spots along our shoreline.

When a body goes through its healing process, what we forget is how many years it takes us to get to the point where we can’t face another day of pain and discomfort that endless feeling of malaise. 

How many years is it going to take us to fix our earth, to fix our world. Sometimes I feel the more I do the less it makes a difference because there’s still so many who aren’t doing anything.

Seeing a large body of water like this suffering from high bacteria levels, it tells me something is seriously wrong. I truly wonder deep in my soul whether we are getting it and whether we can change this. 

When I was going through my healing journey, I did everything possible to give my body the right conditions to heal itself. I ate healthy organic foods, got plenty of rest and my body eventually responded and rewarded me with my vibrancy, energy and no pain. 

You might say to yourself, I’m doing my part. Are you really? We all have to check in with ourselves to see if we can do more, I know I can do more.

Are you buying organic foods not just for your body but also for the people who grow and maintain and harvest the crops. Organics are good for your body and they are good for the planet. 

Are you using products on your body that are not only good for you but also good for the planet? 

Are you taking steps to lower the omissions that are being put into the air. Do you leave your lights on your LED lights on just because they’re so cheap to run, it’s still electricity it’s still being used.

You might say to yourself I’m recycling, but that’s not the answer. Humans are lazy, a lot of what’s going into recycling bins can’t be recycled or the recycling is so contaminated with products that shouldn’t be in there.

I’m not perfect, I can do more, there are times I’m at the grocery store and I have to use a plastic bag because I made an unplanned stop without my reusable bags. It reminds me I need to be more mindful about being prepared for when I do pop into the grocery store, I have a reusable vegetable/fruit bags and shopping bag.

My hope is that we are finally getting it, and we’re starting to do things not just for ourselves but for our planet. My belief is, our health extends beyond our body, if we don’t do what is healthy for the planet, what we do for our body is of little value. 

What is in the products you are using on your skin. Are you using nontoxic cleaners in your home? If you are making changes for yourself, you’ve got the wrong idea, we need to be looking outside of our own environments and doing absolutely everything we can to help our plant heal and survive.

Everything is for convenience and comfort, we get too hot we turn on the air conditioning, we get too cold we turn on the heat, there are too many bugs we spray them, we don’t like to be inconvenienced in anyway yet we take all of these luxuries for granted. 

On my walk along the beach, three empty beer cans. Some people leave them because a homeless person will come along and collect them. If a strong wind comes along, they can end up in the water. Lazy humans!

The quote “know better, do better” are we? 

There are people in society who are completely oblivious to what needs to be done, they feel somebody else will pick up the slack. I have had people tell me, “I’m busy making all my money and I’ll donate what I can to help the cause”, that’s not the solution we all need to do our part to help and start to fix the cause. 

I’m asking you to take a look around you to see what you can do to reduce your footprint on this beautiful planet. The planet hopefully my stepson will get to enjoy until he’s my mothers age of 88 years old or older. And if he has children, my hope is that his children will get to enjoy the planet until they are 88 years old or older. 

I have no idea how much longer I have on this earth my hope is at least another 30 years. It scares the hell out of me as to what kind of planet this might be in 30 years if we don’t start to take this more seriously, how toxic our planet it could be. 

It’s time to stop walking by the ordinary miracles and taking them for granted every day, one day they won’t be there.

When I meet with a new client I asked them, do you eat mindfully?  Do you chew you food slowly, do they think about the flavour, the smell, the texture, did they take a moment to appreciate this beautiful food in front of them? 

I’m asking you to be more mindful about the things you are doing, are you really appreciating everything you have, everything this incredible planet is giving us every day unconditionally?

As I walked home thinking about this post, I see a soda drink sitting on the sidewalk, evidently, this person does not get it, stupid human.