Oysters

I'm published! It only took 4 years after I originally wrote and submitted two articles on native Olympia oysters for me to make the big time in the Journal of Shellfish Research. Hehe.

But seriously, it's pretty cool. I spent almost 2 years on the project, which included historical research on oyster management as well as a field project on restoration techniques. I checked out books from the Washington State Library in Tumwater that no one had borrowed for almost 20 years. I trudged through mud in my hip waders, and nearly had to live there when I became stuck and the tide was rising around me. I even braved the tideflats in the middle of the night (when low tides occur in the winter time) to collect shells for examination back in the lab.

In the end, I decided that I enjoyed teaching science more than doing it myself. But, I never could have figured that out without doing years worth of undergraduate research - and support work for other people's research - on Mt. St. Helens recovery ecology (scanning slides), microbial ecology of deep sea hydrothermal vents (real lab work with vials and microscopes - I even presented at the Geological Society of America!), geoduck/eelgrass interactions (more mud and lots of measuring), and of course my native oyster projects.

So what does this have to do with sustainability? Two things:

1) I found my passion - part of my journey toward personal sustainability. I had to try out ecology to learn that I would rather make science accessible to the public - and I think I'm pretty good at it. I just didn't have the patience for lab work, and I wanted to work more actively with people. If I got to the point where I was teaching, I think I'd like that part of academia.

2) My oyster work is an example of the science behind sustainability. So often we recognize a problem (i.e. oyster populations are dwindling), but it's hard to understand why and how to solve the problem. It's an exciting moment, as in many arenas - climate science, green energy, agriculture, etc. - we're looking for and finding new options that are leading towards solutions. It's incredible to think, but my work could inform people doing on the ground restoration. Believe it or not, people do read this rather obscure journal!

And I'm just proud! :)

Writing

This post is scary for me.

I like to write. Sometimes I think I'm pretty good at it, other times I'm less confident. Either way, writing is something that matters to me. When I was in about the 6th grade, I remember spending a day of my summer vacation writing an essay about saving the rainforest. I kid you not. My senior year in high school I had a fantastic English teacher who really gave me confidence in my writing - he helped me to find my voice. Since then I've written in many styles, and I even have a few published pieces.

But what I really wanted to share with you today, is that I sometimes write poetry. It comes in spurts. I'll be inspired, and write 3 or 4 decent poems. Then nothing for 6 months. I love to do it, but I'm far less confident about my work. For some time now I've stored my poetry on a blog at http://jackiemichelle.blogspot.com/. I'm now open for comments.

What does this have to do with sustainability? I think it's part of sustainable living - figuring out what matters to you; what makes you, YOU. Simplicity guides tell us to identify key priorities in life, and to limit those priorities. You can't pull yourself in too many directions and feel satisfied with your life. Sometimes I find this difficult, since there are so many things that I love to do. Writing sometimes gets pushed to the side.

So, here's my challenge and my question to you:
How do we find balance, while enjoying the many passions that make us unique?