St. Mary's: The Reality of Things
posted 2/24/09
Each time the doors opened a fresh burst of cold air blew in, college students bundled in jackets and hoodies tracking in winter wind and leaf meal. Has it already been so long that I don’t feel like one of them anymore?
We sipped hot chocolate at the Daily Grind as we discussed this project. I should have talked to her earlier. This isn’t just a lark, but I hadn’t given it as much thought as I should’ve. It’s been two years since I graduated and I have already gotten soft and lazy. Suddenly, she threw this project into perspective and all the design and preparation we’d done, though difficult, fun, and time-consuming, became less important. We now had to deliver substance.
Kate Chandler, my advisor and mentor during my time at St. Mary’s, cautioned us to not just make this about the edgy granola culture that environmentalism is fast becoming.
Make it about the real people, she said.
And it makes sense that she would say that. It’s hard not to just see that side of it, to be enamored with the environmental movement’s new and flashy façade. Saving the earth is cool now. Dress in organic cottons, graphic tees with neat trendy designs (yes, I said “neat”). Go vegan and learn to cook tofu! Climate change and sustainability have become buzz words. Yes, these are all important tools and means and a step in the right direction, but they are not the whole thing. They are not the reason or the rhyme. Green has become a style and styles come and go. We, or at least I, need to get at something deeper and not just dress up our lifestyles in items and hobbies that make us look “aware”. We can’t let this one go.
We are in a jam, whether you believe in climate change, pollution, over-population, racism, classism, sexism, genocide, and/or poverty, or not. We are a species that is weighing heavily on the planet and making it harder for it and one another to breathelivethrive. This just might be the time we have to rethink the architecture of our existence, not just the wall hangings.
Perhaps this is me convincing myself to get real. Perhaps these are all things you already know. Good for you. Now tell the person next to you.
(Breathe) Now, I’ll stop sounding like a raving lunatic, but feel free to reread it if you like, writing is great that way.
There’s no one better than Kate Chandler to bring people back to earth, which I guess is exactly what an Environmental Lit. professor is supposed to do.
Don’t worry, Kate, you didn’t rain on our parade, you just made the drum major wake up.
We only had an hour or so to talk between Even’ Star and Circle C. I wish we had had more time. Thanks for the hot cocoa, Kate! See you when we get back.
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John and I walked through Historic St. Mary’s after visiting Daffodil Valley. Some were already blooming even in the middle of February. The trail through the pine forest wound, joining us and then parting us from the river. At one point, when the trees between us and the river grew thin, we went out onto the beach and then up onto the rip rap.
As we pick our way among the rocks, drops of water flung at us from the waves breaking. I saw two men walking on the trail just beyond the trees. I recognized one of them -
“Michael Glaser!”
I yelled extra loud over the sound of the water behind me. He peered under the branches and through the shadows.
“Who is it?!”
“Julia Braun!”
The two parties walked over to where the trail opened out to the beach. I gave him a big hug and introduced him to John. We chatted for bit and told him what we’re doing, the whole OGA spiel.
Can I tell you something about Michael Glaser? He’s a passionate and caring man, a wonderful poet, and the poet laureate of Maryland. That’s right, one of my friends is a celebrity. He is also a kind and honest teacher. Honest.
He had read other blogs by other travelers and warned us not to be too self-indulgent, something he’d recognized in other bloggers. Dear Reader, I’ll try not to be, but I don’t know what writing is without being just a little self-indulgent. I guess I just got my rant in under the wire.
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So Kate says don’t be too edgy and Michael says don’t be self indulgent. I’ll try not to be. This isn’t about me or John, even though I’m sure we are going to have lots of fun and we want to share our travels with you. We are vehicles through which maybe you, or someone you know, can learn more about what’s going on in other parts of the country and in other parts of the ever growing “green” community. We’ll do our best.
Enjoy.
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We left St. Mary’s on a windy Monday morning. After pulling the car up to the curb just outside of Eco House and repacking our stuff, we were just about to leave and…the car wouldn’t start. Oh great. Talk about a bad sign, right? Immediately I went into resourcefulness mode instead of deer-in-the-headlights mode (which is my usual reaction) and asked the first person I saw for a jump. He was a smiley guy with a BMW and faster than you know it our car was working again. He confused us greatly when he backed his car up to ours instead of having the cars face to face. BMWs have their batteries in the trunk. We went into town, where I got an atrocious haircut, but at least it was shorter so it would do for now. Then sky moved with the wind and we headed toward Acorn Community in Central Virginia, our next stop.