Our Daily Ocean: Day 116

Do you ever think that you're just a blip on the map and that no one is really paying any attention??  I do.  I wonder if people are really "reading" the things I say or if the things I say even matter.  These are usually fleeting moments, but I have them.  However, based on some unexpected awesomazing things that happened this week... I think that I need to officially stop having those random thoughts.  Yup, I'm throwing doubt out the window and believing in the difference I can make!!!

So... what sort of awesomazing things have been happening you ask??  First things first: The Surfrider Action Alert for Smoke-Free Wrightsville Beach went live.  YAY!!!  (If you haven't added your name, please do.)  Then on Sunday morning, I woke to read an  "OMG... I want to give him a high 5!" blogpost by Tim Silverwood.  Tim was at his local beach when he saw a man flick his cigarette to the ground... what happened was soooo freaking RAD... that I have to tell you to pause here and go read "Teaching an old dog new tricks..."  Now... I have to share that it turns out the first thing Tim thinks of when he sees butts on the beaches is..... moi! (... of course, I realize this is not a very attractive thing to be known for, but... hey! what can I say? I'm that girl.)  If you're not familiar with Tim, he's an environmental activist and co-founder of Take 3 in Australia.  He's super passionate about helping clean up our world and coming together as a global community to do it!!

The next bit of awesomeness, comes from here in my own local community.  After sending out the action alert to my friends and family encouraging them to add their names, I received an email from Kim that was full of so much support and encouragement that it made my heart run over.  I then shared with Kim something that not everyone knows:  this project hasn't been without harsh criticisms... and that over the past year and a half, I've dealt with a fair share of negativity that has often taken the wind out of my sails.  Not long after I shared all of this with her, she wrote this:  

....so i say to YOU....whoever you are out there making a difference......whatever you believe in......MAKE NOISE....make a difference....keep trying....don't stop believing.....keep up the good work....and don't listen to negative people trying to stop you or shut you up.  get out there and fight for what you believe in,   and in the process...SPREAD LOVE.  spread hope and your message...oh, and give yourself a big hug for being brave. 

 yes!  Yes!  YES!!!  I just LOVE that!!! ... and it's so what I've always needed to hear... it's what we ALL need to hear. 

Read Kim's entire blogposts on Big Strong Girl Designs: make a difference~ and spread love.

Let's get out in our world and make a difference... and let's do it together.

20 minutes on February 3, 2012 at Access 16

Litter by weight: 15.4 oz
Cigarette butts: 290

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 116 days: 

38,875