From Golf Balls On The Green to Green Action: Join My 365-Day Peaceful Photo Challenge
DAY 184. Living with irrevocable differences and curating peace through contemplative photography.
March 4, 2025
Every year, millions of stray golf balls travel beyond the limits of their golf courses and pollute surrounding areas.
Traditional golf balls are composed of synthetic rubber, plastic, and various chemical additives for sturdiness and wear resistance. They take between 100 and 1000 years to decompose and shed non-degradable, non-recyclable plastic fragments into the environment (Citizen Sustainable).
Golf balls clutter the Marine Park Salt Marsh areas next to the Golf Course in my neighborhood. I notice them every time I walk. I had considered collecting them but had only picked up one in six months.
On my last walk – moved to action by seeing burnt remains of golf balls in areas with recent fires – I began picking them up.
Then, I saw a boy about two years old collecting balls and proudly showing them to his father. I tried to show him my collection, but he was uninterested. His dad shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
I shrugged and smiled back, thankful for meeting them and our shared action.
That was all I needed to propel further action. Spurred on, I went home with 23 more balls.
In nature, everything is interconnected – every minute action contributes to the greater whole.
Hopefully, by removing these golf balls, I cleaned up litter and actively helped heal a part of the ecosystem.
By removing the golf balls, perhaps I helped the salt marsh to breathe easier without the burden of synthetic debris.
Nature and I are having a more intimate dialogue, and I am responding to her as she has always responded to me.
I do not know yet what to do with the balls I have collected, but I am relieved they are not in the marsh to contaminate the soil and water. I will continue collecting balls and might make art or start a community project. Time will tell.
Looking at my growing collection, I smile, thinking I am helping nurture Mother Nature at the Salt Marsh. She has been caring for me so beautifully. It is the least I can do.
The physical act of nurturing the environment is enhancing my sense of connection and tranquility, and the relationship is becoming more reciprocal.
Have you had any nature-nurturing experiences like this? How does taking photos of Mother Nature deepen your peace and desire to protect her?