Winter Solstice in Puppet Land

Winter Solstice was wet and slushy, not white and snowy as was usual for this time of year in the land of the giant puppets. The darkest day of the year marking the return of the sun was upon them.

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PER (looking pensively out the window): It should be snowing this time of year, not raining.

image courtesy of Pixabay

MR. PIPELINE: Hey, relax, Per. Less shovelling is fine with me.

PER: The signs are all around us, and what happens at COP24? Virtually nothing. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, fiddling while Rome burns. Elizabeth May got it right when she said the real question that should have been asked was 'Do we want to survive or not?' Our leaders don't seem to grasp the urgency of the environmental crisis we're facing.

And I'm thoroughly bummed out that British Columbians voted against proportional representation. It means it'll be even harder to change things, and to get big money out of politics.

What are we going to do? I feel so helpless.

NOWCA: I hear you, Per. I wish I knew.

MR. PIPELINE: How about doing nothing. Relax! Get with the spirit of the season! Ho, ho, ho!

GOOD TIME: Mr. Pipeline, I agree with you -- 'tis the season and all, but I also get how you're feeling Per and NOWCA. And I miss our season of white. It just doesn't feel the same with rain somehow.

PER (sighing): It's hard to get into the spirit when I feel so much anxiety about what the future holds.

GOOD TIME: You know, Per, even though we lost the pro rep campaign, in the process we've created communities of caring people all over the province. And even though we're from different groups and political parties we've become friends and know how to work together.

NOWCA: That's a good point, Good Time. It's caring people working together who are going to make the world a greener, kinder and fairer place. And the pro rep campaign brought a lot of us together.

Hey, and it's Winter Solstice, an inward and contemplative time. If we want to protect nature, maybe we need to listen to her. Maybe it's a good time to meditate and see what comes to us.

GOOD TIME: I just saw something that might help us to focus our meditation. Every day between January 1st and 7th, 2019, people around the world will demonstrate their feelings about a daily theme in whatever way makes sense to them. Here are the themes:

Day 1 - Earth
Day 2 - Water
Day 3 - Fire
Day 4 - Air
Day 5 - Climate
Day 6 - Biodiversity
Day 7 - Web of life

NOWCA: Maybe we can organize an event. We can't be the only ones feeling this way.

PER: I like the timing. It'll give us a chance to relax and then start the new year off with a bold, global statement.

MR. PIPELINE: Well, don't expect the newspapers to cover it.

NOWCA: You're probably right, Mr. Pipeline. But you know what? We don't need the papers so much anymore. They didn't print letters explaining the benefits of proportional representation, and I'm sure they won't cover these events either.

But nowadays people have their cell phones and the internet, so we know what's going on even when the media doesn't cover it.

PER: And it'll be fun to see how different people interpret these themes. There'll be lots of sharing and commenting, I'm sure.

GOOD TIME: Sounds like fun! People can be so creative, and I love seeing what they come up with.

NOWCA: Me too! And with seven days in a row, I bet people will build on each other's ideas.

MR. PIPELINE: You're wasting your time! 2019 will be business as usual. Your antics won't make any difference.

PER: People aren't going to give up on curbing something as life threatening as climate change. Maybe this will work, or maybe it won't. But something will. Enough people want a future for their kids and grandkids that we'll just keep doing things until we can change the course of our society and economy.

GOOD TIME (sniffing the air): NOWCA, what smells so good? Is there something in the oven?

NOWCA: Yams with figs, peanut butter and pecans. What better way to celebrate earth's goodness than by eating great food, eh?

GOOD TIME (sighing): The simple joys we want for future generations. No one has the right to rob them of their lives and the pleasures of eating, loving and experiencing what's wonderful about being alive.

PER: Thanks, NOWCA, for preparing this food that makes our home smell so good.

NOWCA: You're welcome, Per. Winter Solstice warrants a good meal. I've made a few others things too, but the smell of the yams baking is stealing the show right now.

And here's a little song to welcome in the return of the light. And as the light increases, I know our resolve to make the changes we need will increase as well.

Happy Winter Solstice!

image courtesy of Pixabay