Ailana’s Journal—2026-05-08 (Patreon)

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GOOD MORNING

As promised, today is a give-back day. Jason will join me for a trip up the coast to Edwin King Atwood Park.

We’ll walk a lot and pick up litter, which may not sound like anything important, but it fits in with my every-little-bit-helps belief.

It also takes me back to my youth, when Dad would always have a litter bag handy whenever we went to parks. We’d just pick up whatever we came upon as we walked.

I can’t even estimate how many bags we filled up at Lemon Lake! Everywhere we went, he’d have at least a grocery bag at the ready. And since it had always been something we did, I never questioned it. It was just normal.

We’re going to pack a picnic dinner, too, so this project will become an all-day thing, once we get going. We’re going to do some work this morning, then grab some fast food on the way out of town.

Jason is going to check in next to let you know we’re ready to start and to kick off the next chapter of “Growing Up Jason.”

I’ll check in after that, once we get going. It’s going to be a great day, and I’m glad you’ll be part of it!

In the meantime, I hope you have a great Friday morning. See you soon!

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GETTING STARTED by Jason Keller

Ailana and I are at Edwin King Atwood Park, which is north of the main part of South Padre Island. As she said, we’re going to put in some steps and do a beach cleanup.

I’m also using this post to introduce today’s “Growing Up Jason” chapter. I'm very encouraged by the initial response to this idea.

Here on Patreon, you'll see a separate post (same image as this one) in which I'll cover my high school and college years. Mostly, I'll use what Ailana already wrote.

Meanwhile, here we are and the beach isn't going to clean itself. Let's get going!

IT MATTERS

This morning I talked about how picking up litter matters to me emotionally. Now, let me ramble a little about how it matters environmentally.

Today, Jason and I arrived to find litter scattered all over the beach. We must have gotten here in advance of the cleanup crew. As far as we could tell, a trash barrel had toppled over and the wind had taken over.

All of the contents of the trash barrel were mixed in with the miscellaneous cups, napkins, and bags that had escaped from their owners. We grabbed trash bags and got busy.

Litter isn’t just unsightly. Granted, many paper products eventually will biodegrade, but so much packaging is made from plastic that we’ve created a real conservation problem.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you reading this are shaking your heads, thinking that there are far more urgent matters to think about than plastic drink lids blowing on the beach. I’d agree. Homelessness, hunger, and illiteracy have long been issues I’ve put time into.

But conservation matters, too. Plastic takes ages to break down into small pieces, and those microplastics remain in the ecosystem much longer. Turning petroleum into plastic creates durable synthetic polymers that do not readily biodegrade, so once those materials escape into the environment, they can be difficult to remove.

Some plastics can be recycled, so do that. We get stuck with others.

Bringing us back to litter. When animals interact with litter, it generally ends up being a problem. Litter can get into the waterways and oceans where it can have a negative impact. Controlling litter just makes sense.

And how can you do that?

Make less litter. We packed our sandwiches in reusable containers.

Make better litter. Plastic has changed our world. Plastic packaging, though, is an enduring problem.

Pack it in, pack it out. Backpackers have been saying this for decades.

Pick it up, pack it out. That’s what Dad taught me to do. And it’s what Jason and I are sharing with you today.

We’ve still got a lot of beach left to cover, but we’re making progress. See you tonight.

GOOD NIGHT

We’re claiming victory. From where we parked the Honda, we walked about a mile each way. The park provides bins along the way, so we didn’t have to carry what we picked up very far.

As the day passed, we talked a lot about Jason sharing things about growing up with you. He and I have discussed everything he’s sharing, and I think you will find it very interesting.

Looking at it from the present, it’s easy to both see why things happened as they did and also to shake your head and think we just really messed up.

I’d argue that much of life is like that. It’s understandable in the moment, but looking back, we can see better ways things could have happened.

With that said, I’ll close today’s post with my default blessing:

May you grow attentive to the world and the people within it—learning what matters, choosing what is good, and acting where you can. May you become more fully yourself, offering help when it is needed, caring for creation, and leaving each place you visit better than you found it.

Good night.

Be your best you!

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