Gailstrail

I want to slow down. Walk with me. Let us take our time.  Go someplace quiet. I’m so fortunate. I live near the foothills of Pikes Peak. There is a creek, trees, and wildlife. Can you make time to find such a place?

This kind of walk will take time, commitment, patience, and a willingness to contemplate oneself. This kind of walk gives me time for discovery. It’s a walk that will allow me to ponder the beauty of possibilities. A place and time to discover my power. How about you? Do you want to go there?

I’m making time to study myself.  How do I reach my optimum potential?  How do I get beyond a name?   Why do so?  For me, doing so identifies how I connect within and without myself. I  hike with friends (furry or not) and those who live seen and unseen within the wilderness.

I was born in Charleston, S.C., raised in Texas, and live in Colorado. I spent five years at the University of Colorado (UCCS) trying to figure out what I would do with my life. Education. What a word. It opens the door to possibilities. Thank you, UCCS! Especially my Organizational Communication professor, Pamela S. Shockley, now Chancellor.  I could not have achieved so much with so little without the insights she so eagerly shared.

I’ve always had a deep passion for animals, the environment, how humans interact with everything, and how our world works. I’m amazed at how our species has claimed every spot on Earth, leaving little room for much else! As much as I enjoy a slow hike, we must move quickly to reverse this devastating trend! The green spaces and pristine environments home to our friends must be saved, and we need to reclaim much that has been lost. Thank you to all those who join me in this endeavor.

My efforts sometimes involve volunteering for organizations like the Catamount Institute, which is shaping the minds and hearts of our hopes for tomorrow, providing environmental science education and sustainability programs for adults, schools, and businesses. I am a Sustaining member of the Organic Consumer Association (OCA). I join their efforts in campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The Way of Animals (TWA) comprises 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers. We are of like mind and aim to join hands in spreading the good work done by the Catamount Institute, OCA, the thousands of like-minded organizations, and green businesses that deal with the ‘crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, and environmental sustainability.’

I desire this campaign for ‘flourishing, justice, and sustainability.’ I’ve always needed to preserve my life and those I love. Haven’t we all? As I grow, so does my love. My love encompasses all earth’s inhabitants. Perhaps this love is a genetic trait from a prehistoric survival instinct. Science fiction? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever truth I discover is shared here.

Pledging allegiance to Earth. Promising to educate others so they may become caretakers of our water, air, land, wildlife, and the unseen life all around and beneath our feet.

My goal.  To live a life that is flourishing and energetic.  My closest and dearest challenge and responsibility is to keep my furry friends and myself flourishing. Doing so gives a shining example of ‘walking my talk.’  However, as we all know, the challenge of flourishing in a world full of pollution is daunting!

Pollution of all kinds is widespread. I’m fortunate to have the knowledge and ability to filter much of the pollution…and I have a keen eye for what influences human life expectancy and how to avoid these influences.

My keen eye opened widely while working in Washington, D.C., for ten years.

In the early 1980s, while working for Organic Farms, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of organic food at the time, an unusual alliance presented itself. The National Coalition for the Misuse of Pesticides (NCAMP) sent a letter to Organic Farms, Inc. asking Organic Farms to join their organization. Joseph Dunsmore, President, asked to write a letter back. The letter advised NCAMP that organic farming practically implements NCAMP’s environmental concerns.

The letter from Organic Farms, Inc. resulted in NCAMP using organic food at their conference and spearheaded most National organizations exploring the practical implementation of their environmental concerns through organic farming in D.C.

During this time of organic farming and environmental organization connection, Michael W. Fox, Vice President of the Farm Animal division at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), met me at one of the conferences and offered me a position.  He wanted to create a Humane, Sustainable Agriculture (HSA) program at HSUS, which I did. Later, advise that a book of producers be identified. The Humane Sustainable Agriculture program, coordinating with organic certification organizations, environmental groups, conventional agriculture associations, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and university extension agencies; during this time, I toured organic farms across the country, assisted with policy analysis of the Organic Foods Act of 1990; and was delighted to set with a friend in the balcony of the Senate when this landmark legislation was passed!

‘The Humane Consumer and Producer Guide’ was published in 1993. https://www.amazon.com/Consumer-Producer-Producing-sustainable-Agriculture/dp/B007V5JUKS

Specialties: Recognizing trends; organizational communication; details, compassion, kindness, and care and communication with canines.

I’m enjoying the simple pleasure of hiking with my beautiful and beloved canines; they keep my head on straight and teach me how to be a better human being. Nowhere is Living holistically more evident than in the four-legged animal we call ‘dog’;  we have walked with and depended on the ‘dog’ somewhere near 130,000 years!

The key to attaining these goals is always to remain open and ponder the beauty of possibility.  If we create a safe and healthy space for animals, The Way of Animals will reveal a path we will also want to travel.

Pledging allegiance to Earth. Promising to educate others so they may become caretakers of our water, air, land, wildlife, and the unseen life all around and beneath our feet.