Environmental despair

The Novel (with which I occupy my days when I’m not out walking Dog) is having a break at the moment. (Nothing to do with me. It just decides it wants to stop, and there’s nothing I can do about it.) I’m taking the opportunity to sort out my writing-room. Yesterday I came across a folder labelled ‘Inspiring bits and pieces’. In it were print-outs of articles, and quotations I’d typed out, as well as little messages I’d written to myself, one of which read, ‘Be positive about everything’.

I took my own advice and started seeing things in a different light. I even managed to be positive about my own lack of positivity. But there’s one thing I’m really struggling with, one thing about which I can see nothing positive whatsoever, and that is the increasing development of the area where we live – a new town a few miles away, 150 houses planned outside our nearest village, an Ikea store, all on what they call ‘green-field sites’, ie countryside which hasn’t been built on before. And that’s not to mention the fences, barns, phone masts and roads about which I’ve already written.

Since my teens I’ve been concerned about the environment and I’ve done my share of protesting. Then I gave up. I stuck my head in the sand and just hoped my little corner of paradise would remain untouched. However, as Roselle says, shutting ourself off from despair shuts us off from what makes us human. Despair is our spur. (Only she puts it a lot better than me, so do have a look at her blog post.) So that, I suppose, is the positive side of the situation. I can’t ignore it any longer. I have to feel.

But where I go from here, I have no idea.