April is traditionally known for showers, blooming trees and shrubs and early flowers. We have had our share of those (including the pollen) and are enjoying the "popping out" beauty.
Right in the middle of this month comes Holy Week, Palm Sunday to Easter, with all Christendom commemorating Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection.
Local schools have already had spring break. As the temperature rises, folks are bringing out (maybe buying) spring clothes. Gardeners are working on planting schedules and anticipating more blooms and delicious home-grown veggies.
As pollen counts allow, we are also doing spring cleaning. And I am reminded of my several columns concerning personal clearing out of cobwebs of prejudices and dusty corners of animosities and bad habits. Let us not forget to do that.
Dawson County is preparing for spring festivals with Community Chorale concert and Art in the Garden showcase, as well as Relay for Life fundraiser. Spring sports are in full swing, and kids are registering for many summer outdoor activities. Before that, of course, comes April 15 and the IRS.
And April 22 is Earth Day. Now that fact may not engender great excitement, although some celebrations are scheduled. But it does give us a focus time to evaluate just what we are doing to guard and preserve the planet we inhabit.
Maybe there are, indeed, other planets with inhabitants out in the universe about which we really are basically ignorant. There are those who are convinced that the end of the world as we know it is definitely looming. I honestly don't know and will not speculate on either of the above.
But I am convinced that we should be good stewards of the resources we have in the present and on planet earth. I regret that I was not aware of the Ann Curry documentary concerning climate change and thus did not alert myself or others to watch it.
Hopefully, it will be repeated. I am aware that we humans are not responsible for all climate changes; they have been naturally occurring for centuries.
We are, however, responsible for many actions and attitudes that adversely affect our quality of life. It is no secret that the United States, with a small percentage of the world's population, consumes a very disproportional percentage of its natural resources.
True, that consumption gives a standard of living that we enjoy. But should we be selfish and disregard generations to follow us?
I continue to advocate doing what we can individually to conserve, preserve and protect the environment in which we live. And I continue to hope that our industries, governments and other nations will do the same.
What are we (you and I) doing this April to make our world, the only one we presently know, a better place?
Helen Taylor's column appears periodically in the Dawson Community News.