It was hazy when I woke up this morning, and my first thought was “is it smoke season already?” It’s not yet, but we all know it’s coming. This is our new normal. The first year we had prolonged smoke cover, it felt to me, and a lot of people, like the world might be ending. As I mentally prepare myself for this year, I find myself thinking about the apocalypse.

Wait! Don’t stop reading yet! I promise not to get into true Revelations territory (I’ll leave that to the pastors if they’re feeling brave). Instead, I want to talk about endings. One of my favorite podcasts had an episode that dealt with the concept of the apocalypse, and the idea that stuck with me is that while the capital “A” Apocalypse may not be imminent, worlds are ending all the time. The world where there isn’t a smoke season every summer has ended. And when a loved one dies, the world that included them in a physical sense has ended.

So, what do we do with worlds that we remember but are gone? Certainly in the case of a world with a loved one in it, it feels right to me to tell stories and keep those memories active. But in the case of a changing climate, is remembering the way it was enough? Perhaps those memories of a world without smoke season can propel us to prevent more worlds from ending. What do we take for granted now that could soon be a thing of the past? Clean air? Clean water? And what can we do to keep the worlds that include those precious elements of life alive?

No really, I’m asking. What do you do in your daily life to combat climate change? What larger movements are you supporting that can help? Because an end may be near, so our response must be immediate.

Peace,

Mariah