Reminders

This mug found its way to me from Whitehorse, a city in the Yukon territory.  Every time I see this mug, I think of the trip that my family and I took up to that northern part of Canada in 2018.  The North is beautiful in a way that resonates with me. Trees and lakes. That's where my heart is. I love the ocean and it's beaches and the view of a mountain from a distance. But, put me in the middle of a forest with a lake just a short walk away, that's my heaven. I live in the middle of the prairies now, with farmland all around me. It's beautiful in it's own way, but it's the forest I long to be in. Trees are becoming more scarce in my neck of the woods as farmers have to clear their land to make room for the huge machinery that does the job of feeding the world today. I'm always sad to see the new piles of trees that sit ready to be burned when they are dry, and I'm sure it's hard on the humans who have made that choice. But there is a huge population to feed. Huge. And even with all the efforts to produce food, there are still far too many hungry people (and animals) in the world.

That is why I like to be in the middle of a forest. A place untouched that is (in my mind) a world away from humankind and our enormous appetite. It is a break from reality, one I don't deserve, because I live very comfortably and so I am doing my part in overburdening our environment. 

I sat down this afternoon to contemplate what I loved so much about this mug. I really didn't expect to find myself feeling so heavy.  Hopefully this mug, and it's sweet owl tea ball won't be all we have left eventually to experience the forest.