October 6, 2022

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Do you really want to know what I’ve been up to? I’ve had this perpetual smile on my face for at least the last few weeks. I’m being a mother of a pretty teenager that wants to go to home-coming. She wants to wear a pretty dress and pretty shoes, and take innocent pictures with a boy that is tall enough that she can wear heels. And I’m happily living in this space. The details I’m keeping close to my heart, and it’s so beautiful and innocent and my cheeks hurt from the smiling and the email exchanges.

Mindful of privacy and not sharenting (sharing on social media my parenting) too much, I’m keeping the details private. But the beautiful email exchanges could be a book one day and I’m keeping them all in a digital folder.

But back to saving the world!!! As an environmentalist, it’s beautiful when we are able to dream of a future for our children. It’s a good sign when environmentalist are having children, because the ultimate expression of climate grief is to believe the world is unsafe to bring a child into it. That despair absolutely cannot be the answer. Children give us hope. My teens and their future gives me purpose to continue to #fightfor1point5.

So Dr. Plastic Picker has been very very busy. I took a great risk and prepared four iterations of a talk on ESG investments for our regional green team. The funny thing that it ended up we already have that option in our retirement accounts? After all that, we have those options already? I was very brief as all the iterations of my talk had been paired down multiple times for well-meaning friends. It was for the best though, because the CFO and head financial folks had already heard the angry climate and health person. They had not heard me. I was more humble and quiet and questioning. It takes a multi-pronged approach to get things done. I’m completely new to this space so still learning and figuring things out. I’m still going to run for the retirement committee, because I think they need someone like me there. I said at the end of the meeting, “I care about the earth and climate, and I care about money. And I didn’t know these options existed? I wonder if others know. What can I do to help?” And I think that was actually a helpful comment and the two big financial people left the meeting I think with a reminder how important this work is, and a parting comment that they too cared deeply about our environmental mission.

But in between I was rereading email exchanges about home-coming and looking at pictures and thinking about shoe-shopping with my daughter. I missed so much of her early years, being a young working pediatrician and trying to navigate a still male-dominated hierarchy. I’ve decided these days that joy is important, and what brings me joy is saving the planet for our collective children and thinking about her first homecoming.

And here she is pouty when she was little. I was extolling on what a wonderful student and kind person she is. And she is truly that. The best of both Mr. Plastic Picker and myself.