Hello to you all on the Eco-train! It looks like you are all having a blast and keeping yourselves very busy indeed. I am running on similar tracks to yourselves and have noticed your train passing by a few times lately. As we all know, the search and feed features on steemit could do with a bit of a tweak, but who am I to grumble. This place is awesome and yet again I have read a post that just made me want to stop and think for a while.
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It was a question posed by @eco-alex, in one of his most recent #ecotrain blogs. Now it is not often I get chance to stop and smell the proverbial rose. Life seems to be as busy as ever and lately I have been accomplishing some good things along the way, so it is all time well spent. As far as steem-world is going, things are rosy. However, the same can not be said for the world around me and this is probably why Alex's question struck such a cord with me.
I yearn for the world to wake up and for us all to return to our real selves again.
When I read the question for the first time and contemplated an answer, all I could think about was picking up litter and saying hello to folk as they walk by. Like they say, a smile costs nothing and saying hello isn't really anti-social is it? from the looks I sometimes get, you'd think it was...
There were other more obscure answers popping up in my head, but they involved matchsticks and a Guy Fawkes masks. It's not really in the spirit of things and I do like to embrace my less-cynical side, from time to time.
I think the matchsticks can wait for now.... 💥
My own upbringing was very similar and although I was brought up on the opposite side of the Trent, we had Attenborough nature reserve and, as a child, that place was my enchanted forest.
So milk in one hand and a pack of cigarettes in the other, I was totally in the moment and then the answer to Alex's question hit me.... It was just as I was day-dreaming about just packing up all my stuff, picking a large tree in the middle of Clifton woods and just building my daughter and I a tree-house. Obviously with an 11-year-old girl on board, it would have to be the most over-engineered tree-house on gods green Earth, with unlimited wifi, constant butler service and the Trent would have to be stored and heated in case a power-shower ever packed up.
Haha, I'm just kidding. My little girl is a trooper like her Dad and she loves nature just as much, although she is far too cool to admit that right now...
As the vision of my daughter and I, living in a luxury wooden high-rise, and the imaginary sounds of the birds began to build, I suddenly remembered the question Alex had asked and decided this would be my answer...
The thing I would change is that I would plant a tree.
Wait... Let me finish....
I would plant a tree at the birth of my child and that would be the home she lived in, once she grew to adulthood. If this tradition would have been started before me, I would already be living in my own family tree and the seed wouldn't have to fall to far from my nest.
My word, this idea is just stacked with pre-loaded puns and ironies. I think I could be onto something here...
As I were saying. I would plant a seed and while the years passed and all the necessary lessons had been passed down to my daughter, the tree I had planted 18-years earlier would now be strong enough to hold the beginning of her first home. She and her husband would inhabit the tree and go on to extend both the home and the family. And on the birth of their own child, my grandchild, they too would carefully plant a seed next to the 2nd family tree and again pass down the same traditions.
As you can imagine, after a few generations I would have my whole family living like Ewoks and I reckon that would be pretty effing awesome!! And just imagine if the whole worlds populous decided to do the same? How cool would that be?!
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Until a forest fire comes and wiped us all out, I reckon we would all benefit, massively, from this change. Nobody would have more than one tree and if things did go south, you could always plant another and start again. This would also mean we would be a little more in tune with nature and hopefully become a lot more respectful of it. The wood to build the next generations house would be taken from the trees of the elders and this way nobody would need to take from a stranger, in order to be equal.
Life would become more simple and the lack of consumer needs would create more family time and begin to concentrate life on experiencing what's around us, rather than the drop below us.
Or maybe not and it all turns into a terrible, real-life, mash-up, of 'Planet of the apes' and the 'Lord of the flies'.... Even so, I would be willing to give it a go. It has to be better than the status quo, right?
Video sourced from Nordic Sniffle's Youtube account
Big thanks to @eco-alex and the @ecotrain for posting this question. I have really enjoyed playing out this scenario in my head. I just hope it has come across in my writing, the same way as I see it in my mind.
Big shout outs to @trucklife-family, @familyprotection, @globocop, @pennsif and @scaredycatguide for being so supportive, while I have been on steemit.
Please say a big hello to my friend and brand new steemit member @mrbullet131. He has come onto steemit to help promote his fight against Dementia Fraud in the UK. You can hear Scott's story on @pennsif's radio show, just follow the link below and hold onto your hats!
![Screenshot-2018-6-4 The Alternative Lifestyle Show - Friday 1 June 2018 [recording] — Steemit.png](https://images.hive.blog/768x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbUH4kbE3oyd8rLVarXTiwtjJ76HCS522kpPymzCgQ8Gn/Screenshot-2018-6-4%20The%20Alternative%20Lifestyle%20Show%20-%20Friday%201%20June%202018%20[recording]%20%E2%80%94%20Steemit.png)
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(Where sources are not supplied, please assume picture either my own or from pixabay)
Hey, @article61. I slowly getting to know #eco passengers who joined when I was of Steemit. Nice meeting you - a wonderful article! It resonates with me a lot especially because I do plant trees whenether I travel and I think this is very important for the Planet. But what it makes very special for me is the idea to plant a tree when a child is born. We have been discussing this idea with my husband over last few weeks as we are heading to become parents soon. I do not think I would build a tree house there but I think it can be a very safe place that my can child can always come. Like the routs that connect us to the Earth.
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Oh wow, that is such a great reply to receive. I'm very glad this article found this kind of connection. I like the idea of planting trees wherever you go, that has to a good thing. Lol, so you're not going to be the first generation of my Ewok-human tree-house people then? You'll all want one in the end :D
And it is very nice meeting you too. It isn't often I get to ride the ecotrain and it is always a pleasure, so glad to have popped in :)
He-he%) I will consider joining your the first generation of my Ewok-human tree-house people%) I love being surrounded by great people and form communities with them%)
As for trees, I found a lot of tree planters on Steemit and on #ecotrain particularly and it is a great pleasure to share the ride with all these fantastic people! I glad I met you today! All the best and let all your dreams will come true%) who knows maybe one day we will have your ewok-human-tree house people manifested in reality%))
ahaaaaa. NICE one! amazing how we all thought of totally different things this week! very briilliant.. and thanks for the personal peek into your world.. thanks for sharing.. AND for the Young ones clip.. oh they DONT make em like that any more !!! <3 I remember that episode!
The young ones were soooo funny, that clip always makes me laugh. I agree completely, all the answers were very different but such good ideas too. Really enjoyed breaking the cycle and mixing up the topics I write about with this one. Thanks buddy.
I was not expecting that as a your answer dude, I was thinking to myself you had the plastic milk bottle and you decided to go plastic free.
but to start a family tree is a pretty cool idea.
I know I started the comment about plastic but I thought I would add this in anyway.
When I lived over in Sheffield, every two weeks the bin men would come and collect our recyclables, cardboard plastic and tins(metals).
We have moved to Rotherham to a bigger house, I phoned the local council and asked for a recycling bin and bag as we had them over at our other place.
They sent us out the recycling stuff and we have been putting the same stuff in the box and bags like we did when we lived over in Sheffield, We put out recyclables out this Wednesday just gone, and they haven't took the box with the plastic bottles in. I phoned them and asked why they have not taken the box with plastic in, with a reply, we don't recycle plastic that is your job to dispose of it as you feel fit. WTF. you know that really boils my blood as it is something I believe that they should do.
I am now going to have to fill my car up with rubbish and take it to the local recycling point which is about 3 miles away.
When talking to the neighbours about it, they said that this is how it is over this way. So I now think to myself what do all the older people do with their rubbish if they haven't got a car. where do they put it? one option I heard was -burn it- and I think that is just as bad.
Mate, that sucks!! Another thing they have dumped off. I suppose we might do a better job, but you still take it to the same place. To tie the two subject together, there was a guy who built and island home out of plastic bottles. Maybe we should start on one of them? :) Thanks for the support buddy.
It could be our fishing raft haha. just hope with my big fat arse I don't sink it haha
Bonus votes for the Young Ones!!!! He he. I LOVED this post... funny and sweet and well written and personal.
HAHA... good luck with the tree house!!
haha! I better get started now, eh? :D Thanks for the compliments, that was nice to read.
Thank you @article61 for participating in the Question Of The Week! Your post had been selected for an up-vote worth ~$2.80 as part of the @ecoTrain minnow support project. Your up-vote will come soon via @oceanwhale!
I hope this encourages you to keep writing amazing posts and making this world a better place!.
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That's awesome, thank you, and if you keep supplying the questions, I'll keep supplying the work :D
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I love it, please do start planting trees, oh if we all looked at family trees this way. Such a great article and thank you for the shout out kind sir xx
Looks like you have your tree on wheels, Aishlinn :)
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