This morning I had the wonderful opprtunity to think about Willow at the request of one of her classmates. She asked me to answer five questions about Willow. This is what I wrote:
1. Describe Willow in three words.
Creative, Loving, Adventurous.
2. Has she influenced the way that you do things and think about the environment?
Willow influences me in many ways. She enjoys living simply, and her lifestyle encourages me to live life simply. She prefers to shop at thrift stores to save money and reduce consumption. She eats well and takes care of herself physically. She makes good choices about her diet and exercise. She goes to bed at a reasonable time to get enough sleep. She reminds me that I need to do those things for myself too. Willow values her education; she knows how to study and receives excellent grades. She skillfully balances her school, sports, and friends.
I have always been conscious of the natural world; it's my world too. Having a precious daughter like Willow makes me grateful that I shared my world with her, and I am so proud of her for her focus and direction as a young adult. I continue to plant flowers and trees in my yard because I want our home to be a place of beauty and solace in a fast-paced, busy world. As Willow grows, she reminds me of my age and mortality, and I realize that life is precious. I want Willow to be happy and healthy and always find peace in her heart and environment.
3. Has she always been passionate about the environment?
Yes, always! Willow has a love of the outdoors and being active in the outdoors. As a small toddler, she was happiest when outside and moving. She loved to swim in the local lakes, go camping and hiking with her family, and play outside in our yard and parks with her sisters and brothers. When Willow was out-of-doors as a little girl, she was in her element. So, I think initially she loved the freedom to have so much space surrounding her; it was her world. Willow had more time than most kids to be outside, because she was homeschooled and out-of-doors was her classroom. I believed in letting my children play because I think PLAY is essential to children to grow and develop in the natural world.
From her love of the outdoors came an interest in understanding the physical world, and ultimately understanding it and protecting it. She invites and encourages her friends to look at the natural world through her lens of protector and advocate. Willow makes a difference; people value her opinion. Her passion for the environment is contagious.
4. Do you think that you influenced her to be this way and how?
I hope so. Having five children has made me aware of the environment because naturally we created significant amount of trash in raising them. I was keenly aware of that and wanted to make a small impact on our environment. So we consciously raised our family to be ecologically aware, so as not to make a large impact on the earth. We grew our own food in our garden, and raised our own meat (chickens, rabbits, and swine). We recycled our plastic, glass, and paper. We composted our food scraps. We preserved food. We tapped our maple trees to make maple syrup. (YUM!) We bought clothes from the thrift store which is another way to recycle. I wrote articles to the South Lyon Herald on the poisoning of our drinking water by spraying herbicides on our lawn to rid them of dandelions, just so we can have pretty lawns. So, we loved the dandelions at our house. They were always my favorite bouquets from Willow! She still picks them for me.
Willow studied with a Washtenaw County Park naturalist for years from the time she was a baby (literally) through a teenager attending high school. This woman, Faye Stoner, taught Willow a true love of nature through her passion and deep knowledge about the environment. I always thought that having time to study with Faye during the day was one of the highlights of our homeschooling. Willow also drew pictures of animals and won art contests with cash awards as a young girl. She was involved with our OWL Homeschooling group Science Fair each year.
Finally, Willow was involved for many years with the Michigan 4-H Youth Organization where she developed leadership skills, and she culminated her interest in the environment by her participation in the Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council. Willow was a four year member of this statewide council which researched a selected topic and made a PowerPoint presentation to the Michgan Senate Committee on Natural Resources in Lansing on Earth Day each spring. She dressed up professionally and spoke with senators on issues concerning the environment in Michigan. This commitment was a lot of work, and she missed several social events because of her involvement in it. That was not always easy for Willow. However, she received awards from senators and her county 4-H organization for her dedication, and she was empowered by her activism at a young age. She also attended a Great Lakes Natural Resources Camp in Presque Isle County as a camper for 3 years and as a counselor for 2 years.
All of these activities were initiated by us (Willow's dad and I), but she willingly was involved. When you are young, you don't always realize the cool, interesting things there are to do and study. So, that's the job of a parent--to encourage interesting, creative, physical activities for your children. There were days when I would have to nudge her out of bed to get ready for her early morning hikes with Faye Stoner. Our family associated being outside with FUN. So, from the time she was little, being outside meant FUN and EXPLORATION to Willow. Her natural curiosity and adventurous spirit took over after her initial parental nudge!
5. Do you think this is a good career path for her and why?
Yes, I think it's AWESOME! This career path was chosen by Willow; I did not select it for her. I think it will be satisfying personally knowing she is making a positive impact on our local community in Michigan and far-reaching into the earth. We are global citizens and Willow is preparing herself to leave her mark. I have always encouraged Willow to be conscious of the less fortunate, and usually those are the humans who live a marginalized life in a marginalized environment. Taking care of the environment is a significant social justice issue of her generation. Willow can help humanity by taking care of the environment through research and action. It is so important to her/our future.
Willow will be able to meet and work with amazing, intelligent, and interesting people who have a common interest in environmental studies. She will have opportunities to travel globally. She will be able to use her blessed gift of intelligence to pursuit the rigorous courses in college and graduate school to be qualified to seek employment in her field. She will earn good, solid wages doing work that is helpful to humanity and be able to pay back her college loans. She will be able to provide for herself; and perhaps someday, her family. One day Willow's child will pick her a bouquet of dandelions, and she will be delighted and pleased at the simple act. It will be a profound, life-changing moment for her. And the circle of life will repeat itself! She will be happy. I will be teary-eyed. That's awesome! AWESOME!
Go Peppy!
