2 dear friends, Dona Menz and Sally Jenkins, joined me today in honoring global earth exchange day. We went to a spot just outside of Asheville, NC. It is a 3,000-acre piece of land that was bought several years ago and slated for a high end golf course (with Tiger Woods’s name attached to it). When the economy and Woods’s reputation went bust the development floundered. They have done some clear cutting and minimal development and now it is just sitting there lingering.

We decided to choose this spot for our ceremony because we feel sad about the clear cutting that happens here and elsewhere in the name of luxury developments (that are only inhabited a few weeks per year). It seems that most of the people who buy into these developments have little or no awareness or sensitivity of the harmful effects of such developments. It is just another example of how we humans are often so self absorbed that we miss the bigger picture.

We spent time in a wooded area at the site and burned sage, played Tibetan singing bowls and used crystals and other sacred objects to connect us to ourselves and our experiences in nature. We read quotes from Rachel Carson, John Muir, etc. Dona brought a rock that has been on her family’s land for generations and we honored our ancestors.

I also wore a hat today that belonged to my dear friend who committed suicide last year. I wanted to honor her and the connection between her death and the devastation of hurricane Katrina. (She lived in New Orleans for 30 years and never recovered after Katrina). It was a great day. Tears were shed, we laughed and shared stories from childhood and our relationship to nature growing up. Thank you for creating such a magical day and experience for people all over this world. We felt privileged and excited to be a part of this.

I am attaching one picture of the bird we made on the road that goes up to the development.