Years ago, I heard an elder comedian say “It’s not the golden years. It’s the rusting years.”
Now that I’ve completed my eightieth journey around the sun, I tend to agree with him. At times I wish I had grease connections in my joints so I could lubricate them as needed. And the need is great, and often.
So instead of haranguing you dear reader on the subjects of recycling, resilience and environmental stewardship, I would like to take a short detour through an old-growth forest. The wizened and grizzled forest of elder statesmen and women in this grove of WLLOs. And there are many questions on this detour.
PRIORITIES
As an avid environmentalist, recycler and humanist, I pride myself in not only the work I currently do for the environment and our freedoms, but also for the work myself and countless others like you, have done in the past. My wife and I talk of this often.
In our youth we fought and protested for the environment, social justice, women’s rights and peace. Over the years we began to see victories in the Endangered Species Act, the Civil Rights Act, Title Nine and the end of the Vietnam war. As the years passed, we fought for the reduction of fossil fuel use and the development of clean alternative energy. The hard-fought victories we witnessed lifted our souls.
Alas, many of those victories and advancements have now been dashed by the advent of ignorance, avarice and greed.
So now, in our rusting years, which are limited, we desperately try to assess our priorities. Not just to direct our energies, but to preserve what we have left in order to enjoy the time we have left.
REALITIES
I would hazard a guess that the reality of death crosses your mind as often as it does mine. I often wonder, do I have ten years left? If I’m lucky? My father was 90 when he died. My mother 87. My grandmother 90. Will I see another ten springs blossom forth? How do I spend those few precious years? Am I wasting valuable time staring at the computer screen deleting junk emails?
How do I maximize and value the time I have left? Do I have the energy to devote to recycling every paper label on a can, or agonizing about the despoiling of our environment, while a select few reap obscene profits at the expense of the environment? Did I do enough when I had the time and energy, and should I now relinquish the reigns to those with far fewer years and much more energy? Can I live with myself if I just choose a singular cause to work for and leave the other battles to those who are inheriting this troubled earth?
Can my conscience allow me to think that I have done my best and now I must leave it to those who must live their future in these uncertain times? Can I rationalize making more time for my wife and I to do more fun things in the brief time we have left, and not agonize over those things we can’t really change? Sounds like one of the steps in a twelve-step program.
Will my conscience allow me to be more of a “clicktavist” and not so much a physical “activist”?
CHOOSING BATTLES
The Dalai Lama said that the purpose of life is to be happy, emphasizing that true happiness comes from kindness and compassion towards others. He suggests that by transforming our minds and practicing compassion, we can achieve a fulfilling life.
So, does this belief mesh with the adage of “think globally, act locally”? If we do good in our neighborhood and town, will that somehow activate the
butterfly effect, which may affect some broader change for good down the road?
These are questions of conscience for an elder cynic. But of course, it’s been said that a cynic is just a realist over the age of 50. I qualify.
Even so, I still feel like I have to weigh in on so many different issues in this life, issues that seem of great import. Issues that weigh on me like too many quilts on a hot summer night. Issues that, in my younger days, seemed like matters of life and death. Issues that can actually mean life and death for any number of critters and plants that inhabit this beautiful planet with me.
But I can’t save everything. My wife reminds me of that regularly. Especially when she looks at the supply of scrap wood leaning against the shed.
But I want to save everything. Because everything on this planet is here for a reason. Us included. But unfortunately, we have determined that humans, and our penchant for consumption, are more important than everything else. And that, sorry to say, is something I can’t fix.
So, I must choose my battles. And to do so I must look close to home. To my family. My community. The organizations I belong to. My town. My state. Local. Act locally.
WIND IN THE WLLOS
Acting locally, and engaging in activities that bring immediate results to our community, seems to be a balm for the soul in times of internal conflict and emotional angst. Therefore, it always brings me back to Earth when I ensconce myself in local efforts such as volunteering for WLLO, driving for Meals on Wheels, supporting the local food pantry and working diligently to preserve local wetlands.
All this, and most importantly, to take time to savor the moment. Because this is the only moment that is. This moment will never be here again. Yet it forever more shall be. This moment.
ITEMS FOR OUR NEXT RECYCLING COLLECTION
September 8 is our next pickup day. Home goods are on the pickup menu. See below. The Community Warehouse provides a much-needed service for those less fortunate than us, who need a helping hand to make a new home. We all have so much that we can part with, and there are so many folks out there who would love the chance to give your stuff a new happy home.
WLLO RECYCLING COLLECTION SCHEDULE
As always, we pick up plastic film, (no crinkly plastic film), and all clean clear #1 PET and PETE plastics. Please, no black or colored #1 plastic.
If you have a question about something you want to recycle, and it’s something your WLLO Recycle Team picks up,
please contact the appropriate recipient given below. Their list of items they accept changes regularly. Thanks for your help.
September 8: Furniture, linens, dishes (no chips or cracks or alcohol-themed items), kitchen utensils, mattresses/box springs, small appliances (in working condition), decorative items and artwork, rugs etc. Items are donated to the
Community Warehouse.
https://www.communitywarehouse.org/give-furniture/
November 10: Building materials, tools, plumbing and lighting fixtures, fasteners etc.
The Rebuilding Center breathes new life into these items.
https://www.rebuildingcenter.org/donations
January 12: Cleaners, pesticides, chemicals, light bulbs, smoke alarms, paint, batteries and other hazardous materials.
Metro South Hazardous Waste site reclaims and recycles.
https://www.oregonmetro.gov/tools-living/garbage-and-recycling/garbage-recycling-hazardous-waste-disposal-oregon-city
March 9: Electronics and everything with a power cord. PLEASE: NO LIGHT BULBS OR SMOKE DETECTORS! But LED light bulbs are ok!
Free Geek rehabilitates and recycles this stuff. Please wrap up cords and cables and secure with a twist tie or rubber band.
https://www.freegeek.org/take-action/donate-technology