Bridget Law: My Perfect Day
06 Jul 2019
Rejoicing in an environmentally pure world would be the perfect day for this founding member of Elephant Revival.
The date is July 4, 2058. I’m a spry 70-year-old, happy and content with my life choices. Loved ones, good music, healthy food and, most importantly, a healthy environment surround me. My morning routine is simple: a quiet walk in the early hours before the summer heat sets in, yoga and a nice breakfast loaded with organic, local produce. Today is a special holiday—a celebration of freedom and summer, and a wonderful opportunity to get my family together. My husband, Tierro, and I make our way to a special spot on Boulder Creek that has a waterfall, a swimming hole and picnic tables. We arrive early, plan to stay late and bring good food to share. Our family starts to arrive, our children and their children, brothers, sisters, and friends who might as well be related to us because we love them so dearly. Everyone brings dishware, as single-use items were eliminated a long time ago. The musicians among us bring instruments, the artists bring palettes and paints, the dancers bring joyous movements, and the aerialists bring tricks for us to enjoy. Even more special than this lovely company is the environment and in particular, our gathering spot. Nestled in nature, the creek is immaculate with the prettiest shades of blue and green water that’s clean and pure. For my part, I’m overwhelmingly proud of humans for making the choice to preserve our resources through changing habits and infrastructure so we may all live in a clean, sustainable world. Fossil fuels and mining have been banned for decades now and all energy is provided through renewable resources. Fertilizers are made with organic compounds and volatile chemicals are no longer necessary because natural options replaced them. The few plastics needed are made from materials that have been recycled many times over and are so valuable they never get thrown away or end up in the ocean. The government decided to embrace brilliant science in the 2020s and since then we’ve devised incredible ways to clean up the oceans and the planet. Extremely efficient appliances, zero-emission cars, plant-based medicines and waste-free lives are the norm. As a result, humans everywhere breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat such nutrient-rich food that diet-related ailments are very rare. On this July Fourth, we celebrate life and freedom. But today we’re not only celebrating America’s liberation from the British in 1776, we’re celebrating living in harmony with nature. Our joyful gathering includes herbalists who harvest edible plants in the foliage by the creek and lead the children on herb walks to teach them about each plant’s medicinal properties. The children place jars with herbs and water in the sunshine so we may enjoy sun tea. After everyone is refreshed from a day of swimming and creative collaboration, we feast potluck-style after a sacred unifying prayer. When the sun sets and the gathering winds down, Tierro and I head home where we lovingly snuggle until we fall into restful slumber. On this perfect day, my heart is full, my mind is at peace, my body is radiant with health and I am deeply grateful.Bridget Law is a professional violinist/fiddler, a founding member of Elephant Revival, and a booking/management/event planner. Contact her at bridgetlaw@gmail.com.
