Life-Writer's Notebook

Earth Day
On April 22, we will celebrate Earth Day, making April a special month to celebrate your connection to the earth and to understand more clearly the many ways in which the life of the Earth is your own life. Even if you live in the largest city, the Earth is under your feet and over your head, and you use its resources every day of your life. Now more than ever before, as so much of our planet and its beings are endangered, we must recall our own experiences of Earth and those things in nature that we most treasure. Our story is the Earth's story, and in telling one, we necessarily tell the other. Here are some ideas for writing about the connections between ourselves and the earth.

• Make a list of the seven most beautiful and/or special places that you have lived in or visited. Each day for a week, spend a few minutes writing about one of those places. What are its special characteristics, its natural uniqueness? What made it significant to you? What special memories does it hold for you? How has this place shaped your story?

• If you were to choose one place in the natural world to be, what is that place? In what ways does it speak to you? What part of your story is involved with this place?

• The wilderness of the natural world calls out to the wildness in each of us, and yet we are often afraid of wilderness. Was there ever a time in your life when you were in a wild place and afraid? Write about this part of your story. What did you fear? How did it feel? What happened?

• Many of us have a special love for the wild animals of the earth, and yet our species poses a special danger to these creatures and their habitats. Has a love for wild creatures shaped any part of your story? Have you ever worked on behalf of these endangered beings or their habitat? Can you imagine ways that you might contribute to their continued life on this earth? Write about your feelings, experiences, and hopes for the future of all life.

As we write the stories of our lives, we necessarily write the stories of the Earth's life, as well, and some women lifewriters have paid special attention to this vital connection. Here are some important books to add to your lifewriter's library:

• Perfection of the Morning, by Sharon Butala
• Land Circle: Writings Collected from the Land, by Linda Hasselstrom
• Deep Water Passage, by Ann Linnea
• Drinking the Rain, by Alix Kates Shulman
• Prairie Reunion, by Barbara J. Scot
• Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, by Terry Tempest Williams
• The Mysterious Lands, by Ann Haymond Zwinger

And please remember that writing and reading are not necessarily indoor activities! This month, take your lifewriting out of doors. Enjoy the spring, enjoy the Earth, and celebrate its importance in your story.
--Susan Wittig Albert