Are You Remembering to Stop to Smell the Roses?

We're all hungry for sweet things!

I made this post on FB the other day, asking where you're finding joy these days. Just thought I'd take a step away from the political noise I usually post. Well! I was handsomely rewarded with dozens of photos of people's gardens, their beloved, goofy pets, yummy treats, and glorious sunrises. It was a great reminder that we're all so hungry for the simple beauty that surrounds us. It was a great reminder to stop and stroke the kitty, smell the roses, marvel at the natural world around us, and take a deep breath.

Nature is what we're needing

The endless news cycle of chaos, cruelty and mayhem feels like such an assault on our senses all day, every day, at least for those of us who have managed not to go numb from the velocity and volume. My guess is that all of us could really use a big dose of Nature's medicine these days. Everyone from astrologers to authorities on autocracies says that the best way for us to get through this shitshow (and they all assure us that we will get through it) is to make sure that we ground ourselves in nature at least once a day. Stand barefoot in the grass. Hug a tree. Name the local flora as you walk along your street. Pay attention to rebellious plants breaking through concrete. Look up and admire the avian shenanigans happening in the trees and in the sky above you... Nature has what we need (not in the icky extractivist way that PM Carney talks about), and she's ready to share it with us all to help sustain us through these turbulent times.

Trees teach us that community is key.

I had the great good fortune of spending most of my childhood running feral in our redwood forest community in Northern California. I learned to love and respect the trees, a lesson I've carried into adulthood. My husband and I spend hours watching the wildlife creatures that inhabit the trees just outside our window, or just come to visit. Birds of all varieties. Squirrels. Raccoons. Insects. Not to mention the moss. The lichen. We love watching the trees change throughout the seasons. Every tree provides something important for hundreds if not thousands of other living beings. They are Nature's community hubs. And they provide shade and entertainment for us humans. I wish more people loved and respected trees as much as I do, finding joy in their exquisite existence, learning from their ways of being.

Water is life!

These days I'm lucky enough to live near the Salish Sea. Water not only nurtures our bodies, but also our souls. I find that whenever I'm feeling particularly stressed, whatever is bothering me is instantly washed away when I get myself to the ocean. Do you live near a body of water that brings you solace?

As above, so below.

I recently read this lovely newsletter by Erin in the Morning entitled Pride, Birds, and the Beauty of Survival. As a new birder, Erin starts off Pride Month in this newsletter recognizing the similarities in the struggles faced by migrating birds and trans folk to get to a place that feels safe, that feels like home.

Writing about both bird life and queer community, Erin says:

"I had been walking through the world completely unaware of the beauty around me—that there was this entire world that had always been there, just waiting for me to lay eyes on it."

And just as migrating birds have survived epic journeys to get where they belong, so too have trans folk survived navigating an increasingly harsh environment of widespread transphobia.

"Today, as Pride begins, I am reminded that every single person who has made it here, put on their colors, and found their family has survived something difficult."

Just a wee reminder for Pride Month and for always, it's up to all of us to support and protect trans folk. Wear a pin. Hang a flag, Talk to people. Let those around you know that trans folk are safe with you.

We can do hard things!

These are such hard times, and, by all accounts, they're going to get harder before they get easier. It's really so damned exhausting and it's difficult to remember how powerful we are and that we will eventually win. When I'm not looking up at the birds and the trees, I like to stop and admire tiny flowers, pillow-soft moss, blankets of greenery, and tiny lichen pushing their way through or finding purchase on rock-solid surfaces. I look to them as a reminder that no matter how small, how gentle, how soft we are, we are also tough as fuck and won't let hard things stop us from flourishing.

I'm often hearing folk say that we need to stop looking at the news in order to maintain our sanity. Unfortunately, turning it off and tuning it out won't rid our world of the menace of growing fascism, and it won't protect those who are under assault. At the risk of sounding like Preachy McPreachface, I firmly hold that those of us who are privileged with safety have a moral obligation to stay engaged and do whatever we can to protect others. So saying, no one benefits when we are completely overwhelmed by consuming too much horrible news. It's important to be in the habit of stepping away and into nature to ground yourself, to remind yourself that the world is a beautiful place full of gifts and totally worth fighting for.

May you bask in the beauty around you and flourish where you are,

Jessica (she/her)