It’s Easter Morning; a perfect chance to talk about renewal. 

Irregardless of faith orientation, all major religions and social movements are focused on renewal: a shift in the internal and a reflection back of that shift to the greater world.   I find that refreshing that, no matter what our context of belief, we share a common aim.  The expanding dialogue around sustainability reflects how our region is thirsting for renewal on many levels.

The hard part is, we don’t do a really good job about talking about ‘inner renewable energy’ and its relationship to environmental renewable energy.  This is probably because inner renewal is personal, and we aren’t all that good at being that vulnerable in public, or even in our closest relationships.

But if we are to believe what happens on the MICRO is reflected back to the MACRO, then it’s time that the dialogue about inner transformation parallel in importance to the dialogue about outer transformation.   It’s time that we go public with being more personal.  I am not sure we CAN really create a sustainable community, unless we simultaneously learn to sustain and renew ourselves.

I’ll be the first to admit, my inner renewal has been a rough journey.  Single mother, financial chaos, struggling entrepreneur, not a lot of family around, free thinker in a conservation community……… well, you get the picture.  All in all - I’m starving for renewal at the end of every day and pray for it at the beginning of each new one.   My inner renewal has been affected by my life circumstance and, for whatever reasons, my circumstances have an interesting roller coaster ride.   

This is where I admit…….  I am not even recycling, as the thought of adding one more thing to my daily to do list feels exhausting.  And, on occassion, I litter.  And even worse, I don’t buy organic because I simply can’t afford it.  And somewhere in this story - the disconnect between my personal sustainability affects my environment’s sustainability.

If we are to take renewal to its true potential, we must also find ways to help people renew personally.  Like me, I think people are doing the best they can to renew themselves, it’s just a little help from the outside goes a long way.   Looking at the renewal needs of the mico person (mind, body and spirit) could also give us a chance to compare it to the renewal needs of the greater environment (mental capacity, physical surrounding, and spiritual energy).

Starting with this simple question, “how do people find renewal?”, I can only say what I’ve known.   I renew my life through the following things (and in this order):

• love (my children, friends and family)
• creativity (painting, writing, theater, dance)
• stretching my mind (learning new things, making myself get out of my own box)
• connecting to something bigger (my cats, my God, nature, all things mystical)
• human growth (letting myself experience and move through the full range of human emotion to get to somewhere new)

These are the pathways to my personal renewal, and it gives me reason to get up every day.

I know its impossible to ask regional planners to think this way - we are so consumer with our ECONOMICS, that we forget the other part of the equation.  But I worry that our ventures of growth may be misguided or, even worse, be inherent with the equation for failure if we don’t consider the parallel human dialogue.

It’s really not all that hard to integrate.  We just have to have a few people sitting at the head of the decision making table willing to be real……human…..and vulnerable.   Chances are, we are all starving for a little renewal.

It is my dream this Easter morning that our community begin to think about this personal renewal ratio and stretch itself to consider a BIGGER vision of sustainability.  

It is also my dream that this bigger dream (inclusive of the mico and the macro) become real.  And, by that,

It is my dream that - next year at this time - our 103 million dollar investment in the Medical Mart is matched with a 103 million dollar investment in a Center for Personal, Family and Neighborhood Renewal (or something akin). 

When we get THERE in matching priorities - our city will indeed transform and the people will transform with it.

Then again,

I still get myself an Easter Basket every year.

Call me crazy.