Mother Earth Day
May 9th
This morning when I woke up, I laid very still, thinking I should probably pretend to still be asleep. As my senses awakened to the day, I tried to smell the big breakfast being fixed for me. But all I could smell was the jasmine growing outside my bedroom window, a birthday present from my sister-in-law several years ago.
I listened for sounds of movement in the house. The cat at the end of the bed stirred, but nothing indicating a big mother’s day breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Ever the optimist, I laid in bed until my bladder was about to burst.
Finally, I snuck through the house to find my husband asleep on the couch and my son tucked safely into his bed.
I accepted that perhaps my surprise was coming later in the day and went outside to enjoy the morning.
Later in the day when we made plans to meet family at the park, I thought my husband would go to the grocery store to purchase supplies. He explained he had many things to do so I got in the car and went on my merry way, sure that I would be the only mother forced to shop on her day.
At the grocery store, I counted two men. Two. All the women seemed happy enough, not grumbling about how it was unfair that they had to shop on the one day of the year that was designated just for them. Several women were surrounded by their brood. That made me smile. Actually, I smiled the whole time and on the drive home.
I did get a lovely, thoughtful gift from my son when he finally rolled out of bed and asked for breakfast. I reminded him it was Mother’s Day and his eyes lit up. Minutes later he presented my with a gift he had put effort and thought into – and was exactly what I asked for.
That was nice.
Still, I can’t help but wonder – which day of the year do we truly honor mothers? Which day of the year do we get to take the day off?
Then I remember our first mother, Mother Earth, and wondered which day of the year she gets the day off. Which day do I not create trash, do I not emit emissions, do I not use up some of her valuable resources?
I try very hard to take it easy on Mother Earth, as I think my family did for me today. It was not a day “off,” but it was a day of increased attention.
So as the day ends, I’m thinking about calling every day Mother Earth Day – every day when I can pay more attention to the gifts Mother Earth provides – flowers, birds, sunshine, clean water – and try to take it easy on her by recycling, reducing waste, conserving water and giving back somehow.
This week I will be aware of our first mother, Mother Earth, and pay attention to how I treat her.