NVLD and The Environment

Today, we’re going to discuss NLD and its relationship to the health of the environment and our Earth, two topics that are near and dear to my heart. Ever since I can remember, I have cared about our home Earth. I probably became aware of this at the age of 11. Whenever I would walk my dog, I would pick up litter and throw it away when I got to a trash can. I still do this today. Also, when I was in elementary school, I did a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald. I collected the metal tops off of soda tops and can tops. And eventually took the hundreds or thousands I collected with the help of my mom’s church congregation to a recycling center to get money to donate to Ronald McDonald. 

I also got my family into caring for the environment. I did after coming back from graduating from college, where I had a minor in environmental science and was a recycling manager at one of the co-ops I was living at. When I went to college, I passed all of my environmental classes with some help from my professors, but I did most of the work on my own and with study groups. I was so proud that I could pass this on my own without my mom’s help because I already had her help in my sociology courses, which was taking up a lot of energy and effort from her. 

The job I had at Rochdale as the Waste and Recycling Manager was the least glamorous job you could have. Sometimes I had to pick up other people’s trash bags because they would just dump them on the ground, or the bins would overflow with trash. Gross right? When I would go get dinner from the co-ops, I usually didn’t eat all of it, so I would save what was left over for lunch the next day. I still do with my breakfast at work if I don’t eat all of it at once. I save it for the next morning. D o it doesn’t go to waste, doing this makes me more mindful of portioning my food out and how much I eat, and helps me stay healthy and maintain my weight.

I help my parents by knowing where they go into the compost, trash, and recycling bins that we use at home. We also never use paper plates or plastic utensils at my home, and we compost the paper towels we use. We also use cloth napkins whenever we eat out. I also help with this at my mom’s church by taking the recycling back to our house since we don’t have a dumpster for it there. I also used to have my family collect the water from our showers, and when we would wash dishes in buckets and pour it onto our plants in our backyard. We don’t do that anymore, but we still are mindful of how much water we use whenever we shower or wash dishes. We do this by putting soap on many dishes first and then rinsing them. Or lathering up in the shower after you’re wet and have turned the water off, and then rinse off. I’m sure some of you have already heard of these practices and probably do them yourself. I have also taken better care of the environment by having a hybrid car instead of a completely gas one. I’m saving money for my second care to be fully electric. 

I want to make a shoutout to my friends Jeanine and Natalie. Natalie shops at a black-owned business called Earth Well Refill. It’s cool because they help you buy products like soap, shampoo, and toothpaste, etc., that would usually come in a plastic container, but instead you can bring your reusable containers to their store and use them. They weigh the reusable container when it’s empty and then again when it’s full to figure out the price. You only pay for what you put into the container, whether that be toothpaste, shampoo, soap, or conditioner, etc. Cool concept, huh? Also, Natalie has done it again by looking for social media groups that help you with only using what you need. The group is called “Buy Nothing,” and you can say that you only need a few Mason jars, and someone in the group will help you out by responding to your post. Another great concept! I’ll put their website in the podcast description for your reference:https://buynothingproject.org

My friend Jeanine has her own indoor and outdoor garden. I think it is pretty commendable because she doesn’t live by herself but with some roommates. Her garden consists of orchids, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, peas, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and purple kale. Asparagus, various kinds of flowers like daffodils, sage, basil, and rosemary. I’m proud of my friends for being environmentally friendly. 

I have tried to get a job as a park ranger, but wasn’t able to because I didn’t have my driver’s license for a while, which is a requirement for the job. I do have it now and have had it for 2 years, but I haven’t seen any full-time park ranger jobs in my neighborhood, yet. 

I also love the retreat center, Stallion Oaks Ranch, which my mom’s church was gifted from a rich family. This property is 240 acres, which is 2 ½ times the size of the San Diego Zoo. It used to have 20 motel units and 5 stone lodges, but we lost those in the 2003 cedar fires. The structures that remain are three cabins and one trailer, and we renovated part of it, so it has an updated kitchen. 

We also did some repair work to the barn that can hold a few hundred people and has a very nice stone fireplace. We put some new roof tiles on the roof and new pieces of wood in the frame to replace the rotten ones. We also did a lot of work on the place where the groundskeepers do laundry in because the other two sides had water damage from the roof caving in. In that building, we took the old roof off and covered it with thick waterproof plastic. We also replaced the side of the structure with new plywood and insulation. We also tore down a deck and rebuilt it because it was rotten. I helped with painting the new one. We also replaced the carpet on it. 

The reason I’m talking about the repair jobs is that whenever my dad does them he as the Facilities and Properties Manager, he tries to use materials we already have, so we don’t have to buy so many new ones. We also have 16 yurts, which are tents that are permanent and have canvas that keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I will give you the link to our website for the ranch. 

I also did the Inca Trail when I graduated from high school in 2013. It was a surprise gift on my 18th birthday. My parents put things like hiking boots, sleeping bags, hiking poles, and a necklace that had the Peruvian cross on it all in a box. I was able to guess what we were going to do as a family pretty quickly. And faster than they thought I would. The second surprise came at the airport when I discovered that my brother was going to join us on the trek. This trek is 26.2 miles done over 3 nights and 4 days with a guide and crew that helps carry your luggage and everything you need for lodging in the tents. 

This journey connects to NLD for me because I was able to release a lot of emotional and sexual abuse. After all, despite not being at a healthy weight because of overeating to absorb emotions, I didn’t get altitude sickness and was able to do the whole trek at my own pace. I’m very proud of myself looking back at this Jennifer because I remember how hard it was for me to do that trek with those extra pounds on me. 

I also did similar things when I ran my last half-marathon in Mammoth Lakes, California. I was starting to lose the 40 lbs I had to put on in college, so I had to walk and run it, but I was able to do it because I stuck with it. This was healing because I was able to get rid of the emotions that I had inside from overeating in college when I wasn’t comfortable with releasing them. After all, not only did I not know how to, but I didn’t have close friends to lean on for the first two years of college. 

This did change in my later years after losing 20 lbs. I didn't overeat anymore because I knew what I had been doing and had my ESA, Truffles, with me, which helped a lot. I was also able to create a small support circle of friends to talk to about my emotions and express them more to my family when needed. 

The Secret Garden is a movie and book about  “a young girl is sent to live with her uncle after the death of her parents, his manner and sorrow leave her feeling bitterly alone. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has become hidden and, aided by one of the servant boys, begins restoring it to its former glory.”

The movie illustrates healing elements for the characters Collin and Mary Lennox. Collin thought he was a cripple like his dad, Archibald Craven, when in reality, he isn’t. And for Mary Lennox, who was used to being neglected by her self-absorbed parents, she found a home that cared about her more in Colin and Dickon, and in The Secret Garden, she discovers. I don’t want to spoil it too much, just in case you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but if you do want to watch it, I like the one that was made in 1993 because it’s close to the storyline of the book.  This can be hard to find with some movies, especially if they are modeled after the series. 

I think nature can be healing for many of us in different ways, depending on our experience of it. I know whenever I would run on the fire trails behind the UC Berkeley campus and see that beautiful bay, it gave me goosebumps. It also said this is why you chose this college, Jennifer, because you knew you could stick to it with the level of difficulty, especially if you had the help that you needed to graduate. Luckily, I was blessed to have that along with accommodations and exceptional help from my mother with proofreading, editing, and writing all my essays in my sociology. In addition, I had help from my professors and GSIs too. 

So whether you run, walk, or bike, in the environment, I and others who have NLD find it healing in many ways because of the challenging life we have. As I wrap up today, I would like to hear from you about your love for the environment. Please comment on this on livingwithnld.com. Or you can email me at livingwithnld@gmail.com.