Today is another beautiful, warm and sunny day in Baddeck Bay, and I suspect it is also gorgeous around most of the island. I woke up a little late to my mum going “Get up! It’s so nice out! You’re going to be sorry you missed it!” Grumbling to myself, since it’s not often I get to sleep in, I rolled out of bed and outside. And, agreed with her. (That doesn’t happen often either! Not because she’s not right. Because I’m her daughter and that’s sort of my job, right?)

I know that at some point today, I’ll be taking a walk. And when I get back from my walk, I’ll want to drink some water. A cool glass of delicious, clear water after a walk outside is one of life’s underrated pleasures. So, I set my glass of water on the deck bench to snap some shots to show just how simply gorgeous a glass of water can be. Then, when I came back inside to write this post, I read on the ACAP Cape Breton Facebook page that today is UN World Water Day! I love coincidences like that.

Then I went looking at the flower beds. I love seeing the new plants start poking up, and how they poke right through the old, dead leaves. There is so much energy there, they just burst right through the decaying leaf matter. It’s time! (they’re saying) Let’s get GOING!

And of course, the mung bean sprouts by the sink are not be to left out of all this bursting, growing, springtime fun.

Today I’m thinking about urgency. And panic. And how I can get all bent out of shape, all stressed and panicked, thinking about all that needs to change about our current systems of food production, transportation, and making things. Our news media and we as people are hooked on panic, hooked on “freaking out”.

But panic just gets me all balled up, emotionally. What actually gets work done is when I take a big task in small pieces. One bit at a time. When I take the time to slow down, to take a walk, to appreciate new plants and glasses of water. To look up at the sky and around me at the trees and to hear the birds singing and swooping. To practice letting go of that stuff I can’t do a darn thing about. To look forward to a weekend with my boyfriend, who is quite strict about work versus rest, and for whom rest is pretty much sacred. We need it. We need it like water.