“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." ~Maria Robinson
I’m not usually one for quoting, but I do love this sentiment. It speaks to me about making a positive difference in whatever way you can. Paving the way for better things and making that path inspirational for those to follow.
I think the key thing about making positive changes is they don’t have to be epic, daunting tasks. Little differences are often more rewarding and much more enjoyable.
I’m currently renovating a house (which is actually an epic, daunting task – albeit very exciting!) which is me “starting today and making a new ending” for my young family. But although the house is a long way off, I’m already turning to the garden to see what little differences I can make in encouraging all aspects of wildlife there. Little differences such as planting native hedgerows, coppicing the few hazel trees we have, making a pond and installing nest boxes are things that will have a big impact. I’m not expecting them to be bustling with life immediately, but as the house slowly grows and starts to take shape over the next year, I hope the wildlife will grow with it too.
My dad often said to me that “One hand washes the other”, which is a delightful way of seeing my own situation. As I give space and opportunities for nature, in return nature gives me an abundance of wildlife in all manner of diversity. The outdoors is such a great space for learning as I’m being constantly reminded of through my son’s showers of questions: Do woodpeckers get sore heads? What is the moon made from? Why does wood float? How does gravity work? And so on…most of which I’ll happily admit to having to look up before I answer! In this vein, I’m particularly looking forward to sitting down with him during Big Garden Birdwatch (Jan 25th – 26th) and identifying and counting the many birds that visit our garden. Keeping the feeders and water topped up is one of the little differences that he likes to make, and the rewards are remarkable! He’s learning so much about biodiversity and food chains just through the birds that we see and the whole bigger picture is slowly making sense to him now.
Little positive actions can have big inspirational effects!