In retirement, pondering on the marvels of the Natural World is something that I am doing more and more, and I find it exceedingly therapeutic in the restorative sense. One of the great things about being an active, aging, botanist is that my knowledge base is still growing and I revel in this fact on a daily basis. The up-side is that while many of those around me grow older and more weary, I get more and more invigorated by Nature because I know I still have so much to discover. In life there is always a down-side, and oft times it is difficult for me to be positive. The fact humans are still mindlessly exploiting the many wonders of Nature because of our exponential greed for the latest technological baggage is burdensome. Our increasing selfishness, consumerism, and the fact that we are becoming more and more dislocated from Nature bodes for a most horrendous future…
But put all that doom and gloom aside – rather let those of us who care about the Earth’s future take some solace from enjoying the wonders of Nature while we are still able. Every time I walk – be it down the road to the local Kikuyu-grassed park covered in dog faeces (despite the fact that there are poo-bag stations located at every entry point), in some local fynbos or forest place that is now being badly managed, or in my beloved scrub-encroached and fire-ravaged Lowveld, I take the time to ponder on: “How are the plants coping?”
