“Ultimately, eco-anxiety is about love. Our anxiety is a signal to us that reminds us that we are alive and part of a larger world.”
–Renée Lertzman
It’s been a brutal week for the West Coast. Of all the major cities up and down the coast, San Diego seems to be the safest right now, and that’s really not saying much. We have at least two major fires in the eastern part of our county and hazy orange skies. We’ve had to balance just how much outside time to give Rhys for the sake of him getting a change of scenery versus the awful air quality.
Right now, I’m finding Oregon’s struggle especially heartbreaking. My former home. I’m hearing about so many small towns in Southern Oregon, or up the Mackenzie River that may be gone. Places like Vida or Blue River, where I used to sneak off for hikes or longer bike rides. Not to mention all the wildlife that find a home in the Willamette Forest.
Throwing in some of my favorite snapshots from Oregon.
I get to learn from a lot people who really integrate their concern for the environment with their faith, and one thing that really sticks out to me is that they really make room for the grief of it all. The narrative around climate change has also often called for guilt, hope, fear, panic, or anger- all of which have a rightful place. The thing that ties them together for me, though, is love. And that makes the climate crisis- difficult as it might be- a lot less isolating and a lot more unifying.
Eco-Anxiety
