Everything in life has a balance…up and down, right and left, high and low, dark and light, etc. In order for a tree to grow it must have a certain amount of light and moisture….in order for a tornado to form it must have a certain amount of hot and cold air come together….in order for ocean life to survive it must have a certain amount of oxygen. Everything in balance….everything susceptible to tipping points.

Just like our bodies, if too much of one thing or another upsets our systems, we become ill. The same can be said of Nature….she is as tough, and as delicate, as we are. She fights for her survival, as do we, when she feels threatened….heavy snowfall during a drought, fires when there is tangled undergrowth, glorious sunlight after a flood. Mother Nature, like us, wants to be kind, in general, and only bares her teeth when she isn’t respected….hence, Nature Demands Respect.

As children, we know this instinctively. We know if we build the sandcastle too close to the ocean’s edge, it will be gone by morning….if we dig too deep in the dirt, the ants will surface and bite us….if we climb too often on the branch of the old oak tree, we will land on our behinds. As adults, we think we can overcome Nature…that she will bend and weave under our heavy dominance. The opposite is true…it is us who must bend, weave, and sometimes break….

Mother Nature demands respect….and she will get it whether we offer it to her or not. Because in the end, it is she who, along with God, rules the Universe….and the Lord will always make sure that Mother Nature will be kept in balance….for the sake of us all.

Respect Mom,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2008 Jennifer Avalon