We are grateful.
To be grateful is perhaps simply to be present and aware of all the beauty that surrounds us. In this present awareness we are gifted the opportunity to truly see each other and heartily engage in life. The recognition of the deep evergreen pattern in the cover of our forest canopy witnessed only through eyes that are open and attuned to looking, is perhaps the key ingredient of our thankfulness. To be alive and recognize that this privilege is special, breathes an enhanced vibrancy in all that we do! The recognition and awareness of our privileged aliveness is an expression of gratitude.
To express gratitude in no way diminishes the urgency or the importance of the work to address climate change and our social imbalances and injustices. 2019 was a stark year for those engaged in this work. The scientific community has once again shocked us with news that the 2030 climate goals will be even harder to attain as our issues seem to compound rather than abate. Our political leaders continue to blatantly demonstrate they actually believe that not everyone is equally deserving of opportunities enjoyed by an elite. However, hope abounds! Across this region and country there are many examples of teams like Green Canopy coming together to activate communities in response to these challenges, regardless of how daunting they are. A quote on hope, by Vaclav Havel, that I came across in 2019 eloquently captures an active and virtuous hope:
“Hope, in a deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, but, rather, an ability to work for something that is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed … The more unpropitious the situation in which we demonstrate hope, the deeper the hope is. Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
So, as this year comes to a close, I would like to recognize the work that the Green Canopy Team engages in, day in and day out. With gratitude I recognize all of the partners, stakeholders, real estate agents, home buyers and sellers, collaborators, and friends of Green Canopy’s mission to build homes, relationships, and businesses that help regenerate communities and environments. There are many unsung, yet absolutely essential contributors engaged with certainty that this mission makes sense and the good work must be accomplished. I believe that upon reflection we all come to a shared the belief that keeping gratitude and hope in the forefront of thought, in all that we do, is essential to producing high-quality work imbued with love. Thank you for your collaboration!
If being alive is the primary privilege we all share, then to be alive and doing the good work to help regenerate communities and environments is to be doubly privileged. For this I share my gratitude for undertaking the work with so many fabulously smart and committed collaborators. Thank you! I look forward to continuing to express my gratitude within the communities Green Canopy serves throughout 2020 and beyond. Happy New Year!