To be honest, I really like this action! Especially since we are all doing online school and online work, I think forcing myself to take my eyes off the screen is incredibly important. Some things that I like to do while taking my eyes off the screen is bullet journaling, crocheting, and reading. 

I've always had trouble with my sleep patterns: I tend to stay up too late, and feel extremely tired in the morning. This is something that I'm still actively trying to fix, but haven't found a definitely solution for. Something that I do know works is to keep to a schedule. If I have something to look forward to in the morning, it motivates me to wake up or go to sleep earlier. 

I'm always excited to go on walks because I love looking at the trees in my neighborhood. There are not that many big trees where I'm from, so seeing such big ones here always makes my day. It's a good source of relaxation for me and it helps me focus easier once I get home. 

There are studies that have shown optimism to be essential for human health, and being grateful for little things keep you optimistic! 

I was able to utilize a black owned business for a plumbing project. Hated to have to spend money on this project, but was happy to learned it was black owned. It was a great experience, so I will gladly recommend them to others. there is also a phase 2 of the project, and as long as the bid is competitive, I will support them!

I LOVE discovering edible food in the landscape of my urban neighborhood and parks. This weekend, I found a lion's mane mushroom on a tree that has flushed before. Someone had already harvested the bulk of it, but I savored the remnants. There is another ball ready to flush. I hope I get there first!

For the past month and a half, I have been working with the city's forestry service and residents along my street to advocate for an plan for planting in what will be a city block full of trees. This includes transitioning several sidewalk slabs into "planters" that will now support trees. While the forestry department won't do the planting until later this fall/winter, the plans have been submitted, approved and scheduled. I cannot wait to see the block transform over the years!

Our environments are our home, but it's hard to feel like you're home when you're spending time outside if that's something you almost never do. I think that having easy access to good green space, and having that experience be a part of our daily lives, makes the care of that space feel necessary and personal. The more time I spend in my yard, the more grateful I feel that I get to be in that space, and the more I feel that I should be taking care of it -- and that I WANT to be taking care of it. We have some lantana bushes that our pollinators love (bees, butterflies, wasps, hummingbirds) but our yard is still mostly grass. It's important to know what healthy green space looks like -- I'd never have known that grass lawns weren't good for ecosystems if someone hadn't told me, and shown me photos of what healthy, biodiverse lawns look like. If we can spend some time just literally being in our neighborhoods and green spaces (instead of staying inside by default, or stressing out the whole time because we think we're wasting time that we could be being productive instead), and if we can spread understanding among our friends and family of what a healthy space should  look like, we unavoidably cultivate our sense of belonging in and responsibility for our environments. 

Individuals like to complain about not being able to make substantial change, but voting is one example of how we, as individuals, can push for systemic/policy change! Other ways we can help is by calling our senators/representative, protesting, and donating to organizations that we know push for climate justice in policy. 

I started going to bed earlier, which allows me to read in bed before falling asleep. Waking up is also much easier, which is such a better way to start the day!