Lagniappes, From And To, Earth And Her Kids
The leaves are starting to turn and fall. A gentle wind catches and sails them across a dusty road, so calmingly beautiful. Gratitude is the dominate feeling, a little R&R from the normal stress of life we put upon ourselves.
Earth’s seasonal changes didn’t have to be so gracefully choreographed, leaving each one of us silently relishing Mother Nature’s little lagniappe moments. Lagniappe – pronounced lan-yap, originating in Spain – a Cajun word meaning “a little something extra”, like a bakers dozen (13 instead of 12 of an item), just for the kindness of it. Her gift to invoke our instinctive delight in the beauty that comes with seasonal changes and the enjoyment in the differences of our planet’s climate. (A cosmic instinct we should cultivate when engaging the differences of one another.)
Earth takes care of us, in seemingly intelligent and loving ways. And how are we reciprocating? Well, keep smiling because here’s a little lagniappe from us to her, scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) found through detailed satellite imagery, that on almost half of all farmed landscapes around the world, landowners are either sparing some existing trees or planting new ones, leading to what the study calls “significant” tree cover. In fact, on more than 1 billion hectares (2.5 billion acres) of farmland, which is twice the size of the Amazon, tree cover exceeds 10%. That’s a huge increase from previous estimates, which were as low as 50,000 hectares.
So if only for a moment, no matter where you are on Earth, pause and let the soft autumn (or spring) wind blow through your hair and throw a little thanks into the universe. Thanks to whomever your good deity may be, God, Allah, Wonka Tonka, or the intelligent universal science of nature that can gel stardust into a beautiful planet with changing seasons and beings with the intelligence to stand in awe and enjoyment.
… as the green future unfolds.
