Someone, and I’m embarrassed to admit I’m not sure who it was, sent me a list of simple, practical things to do.

With gratitude to that anonymous source, here’s something you and I can do to practice what I’m calling God’s Earth Day (G.E.D.) Living —

1. Let the sun shine in. Open the curtains, raise the blinds, and spend time in rooms that get natural light.
2. Turn off lights you’re not using. Leave a room, hit the switch! Don’t forget outdoor lights.
3. Control the temperature. Adjust your heat, water heater, or air conditioner even a few degrees to lower your bills. Better yet? Use a programmable thermostat.
4. Try a 5-minute shower.  It saves a ton of water, especially compared to a bath.

— Anybody else read the book Holes? It was recommended to me by a middle school student, so of course I read it. Then it was a Saturday Morning Featured Film at The Roger Ebert Film Festival a couple of years ago. Powerful story on a lotta levels.

The reason I bring it up here is that in Holes the residents of a juvenile corrections facility in a desert in Texas are allowed four minutes for a shower.

Four minutes.

And then the water turns off.

Our list stretches it all the way to five minutes.

And, like Psalm 8, leaves us in charge of making responsible choices.

God really does trust us.