Every soul on the planet liked Earth Day a lot.  But Mr. Wreckit who lived there too did NOT! He hated Earth Day, the whole Earth Day season.  Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.

        "Next week it’s Earth Day! It's practically here!"  He growled, with his fingers nervously drumming,  "I MUST find some way to stop Earth Day from coming! “But HOW?"  Then he got an idea! An awful idea! IKE N. WRECKIT GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

        "I know just what to do!"  Ike laughed with a roar as he strode to a cabinet drawer.  “Aha! He shouted with glee.  Here are just the tools that I’ll need. He grabbed a crock of Short-Sightedness, another of Greed.  Some Willful Ignorance and Apathy – all to assist in his dastardly deed. “I’ll spread this mess around… nice and thick.  Then they’ll all forget about things that make the planet sick.”
 
        But on a hilltop nearby, Eartha Wise heard of Ike’s vile plot. “I’ll need helpers,” she mused, “not just a few, but a lot!”  Soon… Fairness, Caring, Selflessness, Wisdom and Eartha formed a brainstorming huddle.  “Now, do we need anyone else to get us out of this muddle?”

       “Hmm…” thought Wisdom, “Reciprocity could be the missing link.  What do you all think?  She brings balance; it’s  all about give and take.  Neglecting the giving part is a huge mistake.”

        Then Eartha’s team spread across the land alerting folks far and wide.  Urging, “NOW is the time to slow the ‘Wreckit Tide’”.  Soon folks from near and from far gathered on that Earth Day.  They couldn’t wait to hear what Eartha had to say.
 
        “But now,” Eartha said, “now that you're all here, it seems so perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better; it's not. “SO…catch!  Catch the seeds of a vibrant future.  Plant them with care.  Give them clean water and lots of fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect the flora and fauna that’s found. Then just maybe the natural world may once again RESOUND and shout. “Protect our beautiful home where we’re all … Earthbound.”
*Rhyming  - Courtesy of Dr. Suess

            It’s an odd couple if there ever was one.  How these two grey-headed codgers ended up sipping coffee together is anybody’s guess.  But here they sit paging through a photo album.
            “Look!  Here’s an 1867 daguerreotype of my great grandfather as a baby,” Ole Tymer grinned.  “See that lamp in the in the background?  Wouldn’t be surprised if it was a whale oil lamp.”  “Yep,” Pete Rolleum agreed. “My kerosene was just beginning to edge its way into the marketplace at that time.”
            “And here’s a shot of my grandmother’s one-room schoolhouse with her first class of students.  The caption says 1908,” Ole beamed.  “Well by golly, that’s the year Henry Ford introduced the Model T – a big year for me!” Pete boasted. “Because of his car my gasoline became the primary transportation fuel.  Bye-bye horses and buggies.”
            “Ha! That old Studebaker!” Ole smiled as he turned the page. “It’s my dad (age 30 or so) in front of his first car. Must have been 1950 or so.” “You know what’s funny?” Pete added. “It was just about that time that my fuels finally overtook coal as the #1 energy source for the world.  A lot of folks assume that I’ve been the dominate source of energy for ages.  But 1950 is just 76 years ago; that’s within your lifetime, Pal.”
            “Here’s a 2020 photo.  My son’s showing off his brand-new rooftop solar panels,” Ole pointed.”  “Those panels,” Pete grunted, “went up just when, for the most part, solar and wind overtook coal and all of my fuels as the least expensive forms of energy worldwide. 
            “Ah, my friend, in spite of all the propaganda my advocates are spreading, it’s time we face reality.  Your days and mine are numbered,” Pete conceded.  “Folks who profit from me are determined to delay the spread of renewable energy.  But it’s inevitable.  Sooner or later the advantages of inexhaustible, clean energy sources like wind and solar will be too profitable to ignore.  And then, you humans will no longer be compelled to bicker over petroleum shipping lanes and such.  It won't be long before burning things up to power homes and vehicles will seem old-fashioned.”
            “Yeah Pete, in the long view…you’re out.  Savvy folks are already jumping on the clean energy bandwagon and helping build a healthier future right here, where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”