Just back from the 17th annual Bioneers conference. What an incredible exciting group of individuals with so many do-able and sustainable ideas for a world that works for everyone. It is very inspiring to be in the presence of so much hope and intention. I myself, talked and talked and talked about making love sustainable. Here’s the short version…

If we are truly going to make our planet sustainable, my premise is that we must begin with the center. The intimate relationships of our lives are the core of our relating to the world. Our thoughts of these relationships are the ground that we build on. How many positive thoughts did you have for the people you love today in proportion to the negative ones. I think I read somewhere that healthy relationships have a ratio of five to one.

The water of our relationships exists in the time and space of our togetherness. This part of our relationship ebbs and flows, but if it is always on ebb, then there isn’t enough water to balance the fire in the relationship…

The air of the relationship is the communication that passes between you. It is the currency of the relationship and in this metaphor is required for feeding the fire. The fire of the relationship, the passionate physical love that transcends and transforms us relies on this ecosystem to function. If there is no ground, what are you building a fire on? If there is no air, there is nothing to feed the fire. If there is no water, even a small fire carries great risk of burning. It is a worthy metaphor to contemplate when you consider how to build a fire.