Focusing on the realities of the universe.

Post 444 - Since we live close to La Jolla's beautiful Coast Walk, parking in front of our house is a constant parade of visitors. These visitors continually leave their garbage on our sidewalk before they drive away so we have the dubious pleasure of picking it up and disposing of it. Orange peel, beer cans, hamburger wrappers, cigarette packets, Starbuck containers, water bottles, etc., etc.

I read somewhere that in a lifetime, the average American adult throws away 600 times his or her weight in trash. If you add it up, this means most people will leave a legacy of 90,000 pounds of garbage! I suspect the pressures of daily life make us largely unaware of the direct impact we have on our environment. We read about global warming and such, but we don't think much about our contribution to the litter that's all around us.

Knowing the decomposition rates for trash can help sharpen that awareness. I'd like to see the following examples posted prominently in public places, especially at beaches and parks where large numbers of people congregate:

Orange or banana peel - 2-5 weeks

Newspaper - 6 weeks

Apple core - 2 months

Plywood – 1 to 3 years

Wool sock – 1 to 5 years

Milk carton – 5 years

Cigarette butt – 10 to 12 years

Plastic bag – 10 to 20 years

Leather - 50 years

Plastic bottle – 50 to 80 years

Disposable diaper – 75 years

Tin can – 100 years

Beer can – 200 to 500 years

Monofilament fishing line - 600 years

Glass bottle - 1 million years

Stryofoam – never

Most of these numbers apply when the items are exposed to sunlight and air. Put them in a landfill and chances are they won't break down for many generations in the absence of light and oxygen. For example, newspapers dumped in landfills have been known to be still readable many years later.

Because of our new "hobby" of picking up and disposing of other people's trash, we've become much more aware of the sources of environmental pollution and what we can personally do to lessen it. We're working to change our way of life to one that doesn’t have as much of a negative impact on the earth. When we went to the desert last week, I was reminded of what Rachel Carson wrote many year ago; "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction."

The Invitation.

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love,
for your dream,
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
mine or your own,
without moving to hide it,
or fade it,
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,
mine or your own;
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful,
to be realistic,
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,
yours and mine,
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
'Yes.'

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

- Oriah Mountain Dreamer

I'm taking the rest of the week off to celebrate the Easter holidays.
Whether you’re about to feast on unleavened bread or dyed eggs, have a wonderful time.

Some thoughts about work.

“Work is a process, it’s not an end in itself. Work is a part of the process that is life. If you don’t find that process enjoyable, I don’t see that there’s anything else” - Jess Lair in I Ain’t Well, But I Sure Am Better.

I believe there’s nothing inherently negative about work except that many people settle for security even though they really don’t like what they’re doing. As a result, they never fulfill their potential and they end up hating the rewards of their work because they gave up too much to get them. Making a good living doesn’t have to mean giving up a good life. Today, we have too many people who live without working and altogether too many who work without living. It doesn’t have to be like that – here’s the first of many encouraging examples:

The Yankee Candle Company’s factory in South Deerfield, Massachusetts is a like a huge university craft studio where T-shirted employees work in bright wide-open rooms with piped-in rock music. Michael Kittredge, Yankee Candle‘s founder, made his first candle when he was16 by melting crayons in a milk carton. Now, 30-years later, Kittredge and his 5,000 employees made and sold more than $730 million worth of candles in 2007. Yankee Candle has 450 retail stores plus a growing catalog and online business, and an expanding North American wholesale customer network.

Much of Yankee’s success can be traced to the way that Michael Kittredge treated his workers. He seemed to know that keeping his employees comfortable and mentally engaged made them safer and more productive. For starters he made his factory a physically inviting place to spend eight hours a day. The inside was neat and well ventilated: the grounds were spotless and pleasantly landscaped. Production meetings often took place outside on new-mowed grass. Kittredge provided comprehensive medical and dental insurance for all his employees, and a 15,000 square-foot employee fitness center with an indoor tennis court and a staff of full-time fitness professionals. The smaller perks included a weekly pizza party, quarterly breakfast banquets, performance awards, and free cruises for star employees. Everyone got their birthday off with pay. and every employee - even the new person scraping wax off the floors - got their own Yankee Candle business cards. These policies paid off in happy workers.

Last time I checked, more than half of Yankee Candle’s original employees were still with the company. For example, Nancy Spanbauer stacked candles on a cart her first day at work. Now she’s the company’s head of production. Yankee Candle proves that what’s good for the employee is good for the company. If workers feel less important than the stuff they make, they'll squander their creativity on finding new ways to goof off and laugh at the people in charge.

Your comments are welcome. Please let me know what you're thinking....