By Mary O’KEEFE

This month CVW looks at health – overall physical health and mental health – so I thought if the Earth were a person how would its overall health be? As suspected, this Earth is not doing well. 

Just like any living thing, years of neglect and abuse has affected its health. Too much smoking, dietary changes and being overweight is not good for anyone … or any planet. 

“Human activities have pushed Earth beyond its Safe Operating Space. The planet’s natural resilience is weakening: Global warming is accelerating, ecosystems are showing clear signs of degradation and early warning signs of tipping points are emerging in key systems. We have entered the Anthropocene – an era where human activity dominates the Earth system,” according to Planetary Health Check, “The Planetary Boundaries.”

Boundaries – yes, a new buzz word for a generation – is an important word, especially when referring to the Earth. 

“These boundaries are scientifically defined guardrails that ensure the Earth’s health. Stay within them and the Earth stays our dependable home — breach them, and we risk irreversible damage to our very own life support system,” according to Planetary Health Check.

The nine boundaries, according to Planetary Health Check, are biosphere, pollution, ozone, land use, freshwater, nutrients, ocean PH, aerosols and ozone. At present seven of our nine boundaries have been transgressed.

Planetary Health Check released its annual report on the state of the planet and placed special focus on the ocean’s role in the Earth system. You can download the report at https://tinyurl.com/4xsjw48n.

It is a long read but well worth it. 

The conclusion by the Planetary Health Check:

“Our overall assessment of the health of Earth in 2025 places the planet at the upper end of the danger zone, pushing closer to the  high risk zone. The 2025 assessment shows that we continue moving closer to the point where the planet as a whole exceeds the zone of increasing risk and enters the high risk zone (with higher certainty of large scale and irreversible changes). Nevertheless, Earth’s current health – through its remarkable biological, physical and chemical resilience – keeps the window open for returning to a safe operating space. However, this window is closing fast.”

I also want to bring your attention to another health issue … mental health. There are so many of us who feel incredible stress and anxiety not just during the holiday season but throughout the year. Some may not be able to even pinpoint where that anxiety was initiated but I think it’s important for anyone who feels overwhelmed to find someone to speak with … a therapist, your faith leader or a trusted friend; however, I always think that sometimes it’s a good idea to speak to someone who is not connected (like a friend) to your life. 

One of the actions I noticed helps when the news all around us is just too much is to surround myself with positivity. I know it may sound a little “Pollyanna” but finding people with grace and positivity really does lift spirits; if you can share that uplifting attitude it can lighten someone else’s day. 

I am following the monks who are walking through 10 states on a peace walk enroute to Washington, DC. They are going through Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia on their way to DC. They are from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas. 

About 24 monks and their dog, named Aloka, started the walk on Oct. 26. Their focus is to raise awareness of peace, kindness and compassion. 

Wherever they go they are met with community members who seem to respect them. One thing I noticed was the Buddhist monks would tie small ropes around those who they met along the way and would offer prayer. These ropes are called “sai sin,” or a blessing cord, and are blessed by monks. 

Years ago my friend invited me to meet the Dalai Lama and several monks who were with him during a Los Angeles visit. We went to listen to the Dalai Lama speak and then attend a reception-like thing afterward. There were many people in this room and we were all asked to use two fingers to hold onto a string/thin rope that was wrapped around the room. We all held onto the string as the monk chanted … it was a long chant. 

At the end they wrapped the string back up. The monks then sat on chairs on a platform and we all lined up to get part of that string wrapped around our wrists. As the monk tied the string, he said a prayer and, in my case, wished me peace and harmony in life. 

It is difficult to explain but his words and this tiny string bracelet made me feel light. I found that while I was listening to his prayer my breathing slowed; I felt a calmness I had never felt before. When he smiled at me at the conclusion I really did feel comforted. 

The fact that these monks are walking through these states to bring that peace to others is a true gift to those who are lucky enough to be a part of their journey. 

The walk has not been without incident. Last month, just outside of Houston, Texas, while the monks were walking on the side of a highway their escort vehicle was struck by a truck. At the time the escort vehicle was driving slowly and had its hazard lights on. According to reports the truck driver said he didn’t notice how slowly the vehicle was going. 

When the escort vehicle was struck it was pushed into two monks. Both were injured; one monk had to have his leg amputated. The monk had to stay in the hospital as the others continued their walk. After a month he returned home and the other monks stopped by to see him. After losing his leg and enduring the pain of recovery, the monk, Phra-Ajarnh Dam Phommasan, said that something good did come out of his losing his leg. 

“Before the accident the Walk for Peace movement was still unknown and not too many people knew about it, but after my injury it sparked a lot of interest in many different communities and brought a lot of attention to not only Walk for Peace but to Buddhism as well,” Phommasan told WTOC, The Southeast News Leader, that serves Georgia and South Carolina. 

So even in the darkness he looked for a light. I think maybe that’s a good philosophy for all of us in 2026.

For us, our future appears to be windy. The strongest winds should be today, Thursday, during the daylight hours with gusts up to 45 mph. The wind will stay with us through Saturday with peak hours during the day. 

Mountain areas will see even more windy conditions. 

The weather will be cool (in the mid to high 60s) through Monday; on Tuesday we will start seeing higher temps in the 70s.