Sometimes you have to go above the clouds to think clearly.
When I was sitting on this slope over looking glaciers and an ice cap I felt so at peace. All my troubles below the clouds seemed to just wisp away like the mist of the rain that had previously fallen on us. I felt so connected with my surroundings, and it reminded me of why I believe in a sustainable lifestyle. Now that may seem like quite the jump but keep reading I promise to clear it up.
These glaciers are retreating and disappearing at such a fast rate it is astounding. Our professor Hank was dumbfounded when he saw how large the lagoons had grown in just a year! He said that he had taken maybe five pictures of Iceland before that day. Well let’s just say in that day alone he probably tripled that number. This got me to think about why he would take so many pictures, so I had to ask. His response was something to the affect of, “I have to document this to show how fast these are going away.” That really struck a chord in me because as I was sitting above the clouds looking at an absolutely amazing view, it almost seemed as if there was nothing wrong. All I could see was beautiful white ice and snow, no signs of climate change, no melting, no lagoons. But then walking back down I began to realize how important it is to live sustainably. With just each person making small changes we can someday slow, and hopefully stop, the changes that WE ARE CREATING. Living a life that is well thought out, and trying to make proactive changes in your everyday lifestyle can help these glaciers not melt so fast (along with numerous other positive effects). We can make a difference and as I was sitting there it really began to dawn on me that there is a way to make a change. Being in this program has already taught me a lot about the ways that I can alter my everyday life as well as how I can create even larger changes to the community around me. Seeing these mountain tops so beautifully covered in snow and ice just made me want to live even more sustainably to try and combat all the ways that we are contributing to climate change. I want the future generations to be able to see these sights and be able to understand what this blog means, not just see the pictures of it. So now I ask you, is it maybe time to get above the clouds, clear your mind and see what you are really thinking about?