Chapter 163
Ahh, what to say. This is the month I came into the world, it has a certain significance, at least to me and those who joined forces to bring me here, opening a portal to another dimension. I always associate March with the brightness of Spring although in this neck of the woods it’s still a couple of months away. The first flicker of life; Snowdrops poking their delicate heads through a slight covering of snow, bulge of Crocus, a hint of Bluebells about to burst forth. In my youth, my brother and I played in endless carpets of Bluebells in a south-eastern corner of England. I have no doubt that area is now restricted since English Bluebells (about 50% of the global bluebell population) are now endangered due to erosion of land and invasion of the Spanish Bluebell. It is now illegal to pick English Bluebells, the easy gatherings of my youth are now a criminal act. The abundant flower-rich hedgerows and endless dancing fields of wildflowers now a thing of fiction. 
Where I used to wander in school-free liberated days of summer, narrow pathways now meander along the edges of once-rich vistas. There are still glorious sights to see, but for those of us who remember, the dramatic changes are quite frightening. The collapse of the English countryside had a significant influence on my exit from that land. I was surprised Canada let me in, I was such a rabble-rouser for the protection of land, flora and fauna.
Here today, I was slightly staggered to drive through what thirty years ago were food-producing farmland acres by the thousand. Now homes to thousands of families. Where is our food coming from these days? How much of our food is produced locally, year-round? The advent of freezer technology, pasturisation and development of transportation corridors, made foods available around the world, around the clock, all year long. Things that were unknown a few decades ago, are now commonplace. But at what cost? What are all these families doing to add to the welfare of the land we now occupy. What am I doing?
I’ve done a lot of travelling. Many would argue that’s a terrific waste of resources and I would concur on some levels. However, the massively destructive practices of large- scale intensive meat and dairy production are creating huge toxic effects for both humans and the land. It’s the second biggest source of pollution after the use of fossil fuels and it uses fossil fuels in massive amounts, so that’s a slightly disingenuous measurement. It’s not that people shouldn’t be eating meat, it’s that people might want to think twice or thrice about the gorging on meat that has been encouraged as ‘normal’ or ‘reasonable’ or ‘healthy’ by groups with vested interests in selling ‘product’. When did living, breathing beings become ‘product’?
Fashion. There’s a bizarre industry if ever there was one…and the third biggest source of pollution on the planet. I have been happily shopping in thrift stores since I began buying my own clothes a million years ago. I remember one day heading for Oxfam to see what glories I might find there (I still have an item I bought there nearly 50 years ago, it’s so well-made). My friend accompanying me, a year or two younger than my tender 17 or so years, refused point blank to either enter the store or be seen with me carrying an Oxfam bag because of her social prejudices imbued upon her from unknown (to me) sources. That is one of the strangest things I’ve experienced and I’ve experienced an abundance of strange things in all the places I’ve lived and visited.
Whatever you may be doing with your life and time, I hope that the beauties that surround us here continue to inspire each day for you and that if you’re heading out shopping for something new, you make it something ‘new to you’ rather than just the latest pressure-sell for the masses.
Good luck out there!
Be peaceful, Kat Dancer
bodymudra@gmail.com
403-931-3866 (h) +1 415 525 2630 (c)
