To the Earth - a letter of contrition

Dear Earth,

I would like to express my apology to you. For most of my life, I have taken you for granted, and have engaged in habits and practices that harmed you. Some of these transgressions include:

• spraying chemicals on our lawn to have a bug free green carpet
• using precious water on that green carpet (even when it was more brown)
• seeing the sun only as a source of UV rays from which I needed to shield my eyes and skin
• shamelessly buying from Dollarama or Amazon (earlier Target or Zellers) without thought to the plastic waste or transportation costs to bring products I didn't need, but bought anyway
• believing my role was to dutifully put recycling and garbage at the bottom of my driveway, irrespective of the amount
• travelling freely and often, without any thought to the true environmental cost of flying
• treating my online presence as completely natural, ignoring the environmental footprint that cloud storage and streaming truly have

Earth, I am so sorry. I mistreated you - and am still mistreating you in many respects.

I no longer engage in most of the above. I am learning about native plants, how curtains can be used to control the house temperature, how to reuse and upcycle, and being far more conscious of the waste I produce.

Beyond this, I now appreciate the sun as divine gift, the wind as a reminder of the beauty of change, the mystery of a solemn tree, the joy watching birds and wildlife going about their business. I am now aware of your precious gifts of water and soil, and am trying to live the rest of my life in gratitude for what you have always given me.

I do not know if I can make up all the harm I have caused you.

I do need you to know that I am profoundly grateful for your gifts to me, your patience, and your kindness. I feel it when the sun blankets me, the rain refreshes me, the seasonal changes delight me, and how precious you have shown me me life truly is.

Thank you,

Tanya Hewitt