Enthusiasm

Dear Partners in Green,

For a long time now, I have been a Ralph Waldo Emerson enthusiast. There is something about his views on life that just strikes a chord with me. I have read a great deal about him and by him. He is not the easiest person to read, much like other nineteenth-century writers. But I do believe he offers important lessons for us today.

And one came in the form of simply a word—his favorite word, enthusiasm.

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Merriam-Webster defines enthusiasm as a strong excitement of feeling, something inspiring zeal or fervor. Have you ever noticed how enthusiasm can be contagious? It can rub off on others. The term “fired up” comes to mind, as does the word “motivated.” There is an energy that cannot be denied.

Not surprising that an excellent biography of Emerson is titled The Mind on Fire by Robert D. Richardson Jr.

How do we develop enthusiasm for the work required to reverse Climate Change and to prove those wrong who believe it is irreversible and who sap our energy and our hope?

My advice would be to avoid the naysayers, to find the doers, to find those who exude the energy of hope and of possibility, and to limit time online and spend more time in Nature. There is so much to distract us, to weigh us down, but Spring is here—a new beginning.

So live simply, enjoy being outdoors, plant a garden, plant a tree, compost, write an energetic op-ed piece, smile, and be the change you want to see. Speak and act with enthusiasm, with energy, and a sense of possibility. Don’t let the world snuff out your fire. Seek out like-minded people.

And remember the words Emerson wrote:

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

I Happened To Be Standing

by Mary Oliver

I don’t know where prayers go, or what they do. Do cats pray, while they sleep half-asleep in the sun? Does the opossum pray as it crosses the street? The sunflower? The old black oak growing older every year? I know I can walk through the world, along the shore or under the trees, with my mind filled with things of little importance, in full self-attendance. A condition I can’t really call being alive. Is a prayer a gift, or a petition, or does it matter? The sunflowers blaze, maybe that’s their way. Maybe the cats are sound asleep. Maybe not. While I was thinking this I happened to be standing just outside my door, with my notebook open, which is the way I begin every morning. Then a wren in the privet began to sing. He was positively drenched in enthusiasm, I don’t know why. And yet, why not. I wouldn’t persuade you from whatever you believe or whatever you don’t. That’s your business. But I thought, of the wren’s singing, what could this be if it isn’t a prayer? So I just listened, my pen in the air.

Wishing peace and health to you and your loved ones.

Thank you for being on this journey.

And Happy Spring!

Till next time,
Beth

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