Sometimes we get too busy, stressed and overwhelmed by the grey air, aggressive advertising and the oppressive thud of urban life.

Our days are full of phone calls, emails and things-we-have-to-do, but empty of freshness and real contact with the people and beautiful world around us.  Our friends are there, but so too is the confusion of cellphones, TV, computers, magazines, and the background drone of someone else’s music. Our day is full yet empty.

Then you know it’s time to go for a picnic!

This summer at Plum Village Practice Center, lots of us young people pledged to go for a picnic with our friends  -  to take space and time just to hang out and enjoy each other’s presence and the quiet beauty of nature.

Have you had your picnic yet? Or decided where you’ll be going?

Please use the comments link above to tell us how it was - or what you plan to do. If you haven’t planned a picnic yet, you can make a promise in the comments to do so!  Let us know which country and town you’re in - and feel free to write in any language.

We shouldn’t underestimate picnics. The idea is powerful - but actually making it happen can be more effort than we first think. But remember: if there is effort involved, at least we know what we’re doing is powerful; it is making a change. The harder it is to make a picnic happen, the more of a revolutionary you are!

Even a couple of hours in a park with a good friend and a sandwich can be the wisest way to begin to take care of ourselves and the ones we love. And maybe, just maybe, we can begin to improve our world….