We’re All Just a Bunch’a Tools

Every trade has its tools.

     A shovel is a tool that can be used to cultivate land - creating a space for seeds to thrive. A shovel can also be used to ruin a garden - dig up all of the pretty and hearty plants, tear them up by the root, throw them away to shrivel and rot. 

    In the same way, any tool can be used for good or for bad, it all depends on who is in possession of the tool. What do they intend? What is their definition of value?

     Business is a tool - a tool that is often overlooked. Some look at business and see money, status, a means to an end, and a tool to be used for personal gain. Some look at business and see the greed of the formerly mentioned and choose to be disgusted by the whole enterprise - hating the tool, itself, not the one in the possession of the tool. I constantly stood somewhere between, sitting on the fence… But, I had never taken a moment to realize that the very tool that I was sometimes disappointed in was the same tool that I could be proud of. 

Work & Play: Not Exclusive

Please note, these flowers were purchased from a
local farm stand at a farmers market, I did not pick them. 

I was listening to Jack Johnson yesterday and Spotify had one of those “behind the lyrics” thing, where it shared the lyrics and facts about the song/artist as the song was playing. The song was “My Mind is for Sale,” one of Jack’s first politically-fueled songs. In one clip from an interview about the song, Jack said, 

“Jacques Cousteau says we protect the things we love,
and so I realized it’s my time to do that work.”

That rang true to the shift I had felt in my perspective recently. I have played hard in the wild places that I love without the realization of their fragility. The rocks and the rivers and the lakes and valleys all seem so untouchable. But, they’re not, and I want my future kids to be able to play in the same water and experience the same views that I grew up cherishing, the experiences that have kept my sense of wonder and excitement thriving. Another quote that has been rattling around in my head lately is, 

Realizing my Responsibility

     I opened a book by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, the company that is one of my biggest inspirations. The first page read:

"The most important right we have is the right to be responsible." 

-Gerald Amos

     It was like an alarm early in the morning, when it's still dark outside and you were deep in a dream. Jumping to grab your phone and shush the dang thing. I literally felt my eyes widen and my breathing stop for a minute. I've owned this book for over a year now, I've read that exact line several times when opening the cover. Why is it just now hitting me like a freakin' freight train?

     The COVID19 crisis is in full effect. When I started getting whiffs of it a few weeks ago, something in my mind shifted - no, it wasn't panic. (Although I admittedly did purchase more food and toilet paper than usual in the weeks before). But really, I wasn't panicked. In fact, I almost had a sense of peace wash over me. Like, the things that really matter were suddenly lifted to the surface. Family, friends, food & water.