Dear Earth

New year, a time of resolutions and diaries. We all do write our dreams, enroll in fitness activities, make promises, make plans, and take loans. We dream and shouldn’t we. Dreams do make the passion within us, but Jessica had some other plan going on. She was an activist, an environmentalist, and a liberalist. She may not be good in academics or a good athlete, but her compassion was applauded by the great leaders. The year 2020 had greatly impacted her mindset, and now her resolution was the new beacon of light to her fellow environmentalists.

Her new agenda “Free earth from Plastic” had gained a lot of support online, but the offline situation was not impactful. She wanted a change that would accelerate her hope.

Now, she was waiting for her boyfriend in their favorite coffee shop. Jay was her backbone, her friend, and her mitochondria of ideas. She heard the bell chime and sensed that Jay has arrived.

He took a seat beside her. Jay has sprayed mild dewy cologne and wore a baby pink sweatshirt. His blue-grey eyes always perplexed me, and his smile intoxicated my senses, but right now the problem was bigger than my desires.

“So, babe what's today's agenda?”

“You know the online petition, right? It has been gaining a lot of support and followers,” I say with dismay in my tone.

“That’s good news isn’t it?” He knew what I was withholding inside me.

 “I don’t think people are serious. It is just trending into a hashtag. Nor, it is making any effect or impact on people's mindset.”

“Babe, we need to give time to people. Nothing is going to change in one night. Rome was not built in a day, remember?” He was right, but I was not wrong either.

“Our oceans are already filled with plastic, there a continent of waste in the oceans. Covid has accelerated pollution more. 11 tonnes of masks is going to get dumped in the seas. We do have less time.”

“You are just overthinking Jess. Have patience because it's all we have with us.” I was not happy with his response. I was kinda irritated by him, by the people. Why was no one seeing the oncoming problem?

Two Weeks Later

I made two rallies, wrote a petition to the governor, contacted the WHO organization, and sent long threads of tweets to Greta Thunberg. The rallies were good and Greta showed her support, but the government did not respond.

While Jay was working on his online posters and awareness. His page amassed a whopping 100k followers in a week. He was gaining popularity, and his ideas were trending on every social media page.

Our journeys and drastic thinking mentality created a rift between us.

A Month Later

We decided to meet each other in the café. My rallies were giving good results and the government was under the pressure due to it. The light of hope was shining above me.

I heard the creak of the chair beside me, which disrupted my flow of thoughts. He was wearing a white collared shirt and has put on a strong wavy scent. His face glowed with satisfaction and has his usual blinding smile.

This time I decide to start the conversation.

“I saw your online pledge. I am proud of you.” He smiled at my compliment and my heart skipped a beat.

We had our conversations which were filled with ideas and laughter. I missed him and could not accept the distance between us. I trusted my decision and had to stick with my mindset.

2 months later

Our petition got confirmed by the governor. We were applauded by the leaders, as well as by the environmentalists. Now, we decided on a nationwide approach and law for plastic. We represented the idea of fining and banning the use of plastic. I know the journey is long, but we are not going to stop. Daily we get appreciation and support from other countries.

Jay’s online awareness received a drop. People were just using the name of the environment and climate change for their publicity and popularity. I believe in him and I know that he will change the situation for the good.

I miss him, but it's better if we give each other the space that we need.

6 months later

Our national wide approach is accepted by a few states, and some have already implemented it. We are like the tortoise in the Rabbit and Tortoise story. Slow and steady with our approach. It's tough to make people understand the value and necessity of the movement. We sometimes do get negative criticism and sometimes we are called fraud. I don’t care, as far as I see the changes that are needed for mother earth.

Whereas, Jay's online awareness has turned out as the internet revolution. His Friday for Future is gaining vast support. A few days ago, he had a live session on Instagram regarding plastic usage with a renowned celebrity. His articles have started to enter the print media. Now people are taking the initiative forward themselves.

I want to appreciate him and talk to him about his success. Nowadays, he's so busy that I don’t think he does have time for anything else.

Right now, I'm wrapping a gift for his birthday. I know he will be delighted after receiving it.

New Years Eve

My approach has been widely accepted over all the country. Today, in the morning I received a call from my fellow activist that our approach has been appreciated worldwide, and some other countries are thinking to implement it. I was glad and happy because I have been waiting for this day since the start of my resolve, since the start of my campaign.

Jay's online awareness. has created a new mindset of people, who have been working as well as spreading awareness. His reuse of the plastic has been widely accepted and applauded. The great thing about his project is that he carried out all the awareness, and pledges just by sitting from home. He spread this positive approach through a 16 X 4-inch phone. His ideas and approach were much applauded and appreciated. While stepping into the new year, I just want him by my side.

Our different ideologies have created an unseen space between us. We both were right in our places, but our ideas were not ready to be together. In this all space, I found that it's ok to have a different mindset, it's ok to have different ideologies.

Today we both have achieved what we wanted, through different paths. We created impacts on people's lives by rallies and reels. We showed the truth through pledges and laws. No matter what our paths were, we achieved the goal through different strategies. I hear a rustle beside me.

I see Luke standing behind me, he has a smile on his face which did not match the tears in his eyes.

“What happened, Luke is everything alright?” I want to know the reason for his unexpected behavior.

He gathered his emotions and spoke in a calm tone.

“You have been nominated for the best environmentalist award of the earth, and you are going to be honored by the state for your work.”

I could not control my emotions. My voice choked, and a sudden emotion took over my mind.

Luke pats me on the shoulder and whispers something in my ears. I turn to see Jay with a bouquet of roses and a gift in his hands.

My emotions were rushing through my nerves, and my heartbeats were racing against each breath. He comes and hugs me and gives me a light kiss on the lips.

“Congrats, babe you deserve it.” His soft voice calms my senses.

So, at the end of the year, I do get what I wanted. My resolve and my love.