I've recently taken up the act of bargaining with nature. It's silly and futile and I'll never win, but I keep trying.
I tell her that I'll quit using my dryer and hang the clothes on the line instead if she'll grant me some cooler nights so the water won't be so warm.
I promise that I'll sustainably grow my own food this summer and swear off any gas powered mower for a few more drops of rain.
I've warded off chemicals, keeping them out of my pipes and out of her waters, dreaming of healthier rivers and happier trout.
I religiously keep the air conditioning at 78 degrees, hoping I'll be rewarded with a net full of trout and an abounding heart to go along with it.
I vow to faithfully pick up any and all trash I find along my path in her forest, not for anything in return, but just because I don't like to see her looking like a garbage dump.
But ultimately my small actions are futile and I won't win because my bargaining won't make up multiple other cases of abuse. But for today I'll keep hoping and keep bargaining and keep fighting.