So... the North Branch of the Winooski rose over the bridges of Montpelier, flooding the downtown, washing away roads, submerging cars, and pouring over the sandbags of business floors. Biden has declared a state of emergency in Vermont & everyone is watching the Wrightsville Dam to see if it will overflow as well.
I recently opened a new acupuncture clinic in the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. I was stoked to be right on the river... I opened 2 weeks ago & had to cancel today's appointments on a TBD basis. Not to mention the fact that many of my patients are currently stuck in their homes surrounded by gravel and new moats.
Many people love to say of their home region, "This is a great place to be during climate change."
The earth is a closed system. Forest fire smoke from Canada wrecked the air of New York City.
"God willing and the creek don't rise." So I guess now it's just, "God willing."
Which God? Gods? Goddesses? These times that we live in with more and more erratic climactic occurrences reminding us that climate resilient towns, communities, behaviors & economies are essential and relevant now, today. We are past bad & ominous news, & into navigating these times effectively, collaboratively and with compassionate awareness.
I think of the orca uprising, the Winooski River uprising, that song we all sang in the paddy wagon when I was 19 & on my way to the DC jail with 80 other women who protested the World Bank. We sang so harmoniously and so continuously that we made the drivers & wardens cry:
Rising, rising, the Earth is rising
Turning, turning, the tide is turning
Si se puede, si se puede, si se puede,
Si se puede.
Si se puede, si se puede, si se puede,
Si se puede.
There is sorrow, confusion, shock, anger, fear, disappointment, disorientation, awe, new thoughts & feelings at the edge of consciousness and language as we forge something new.
What does it mean to reimagine our lives and futures in an era of natural disasters? Emotionally, psychologically, materially & spiritually? Where in our communities do we create spaces for these conversations and musings that are essential for personal and collective health?
What are your thoughts? Musings? Considerations?
Here is a photo of the entrance to my clinic, a view from the submerged bridge, sent to me by a new patient.
