Life in the Balance

I am just back from 10 days of downtime. No internet, no work, and no writing. I had lots of family time, paddleboarding, talks around the campfire, cooking and wonderful communication with the trees.

To truly let go takes effort for many of us, even if it is for a few days. 

The stillness is jarring, boring and we look for things to fill that void. I must say that there was a lot of activity this time with visitors, and I look forward to downtime downtime where I will do virtually nothing but sit under the trees, meditate, and listen. This was a time for family and friends to be welcomed to our property to share in the beauty.

Our entertainment was cutting down a tree, chopping wood, building a beautiful fire or figuring out how to cook well in a dutch oven (or scraping the charred bits). They are all born out of the necessity to stay warm or the desire to eat delicious food in more crude circumstances. Just doing everyday things became the relaxed rhythm. With no devices, life opened to communication with each other around a glowing fire. People relaxed and shared what was on their hearts.

Slow life…connecting with others…connecting with nature.

Not many will be traveling to see family members by airplane or taking exotic trips outside the country this summer. Essential workers may have no time off whatsoever and many are trying to make ends meet from losing work. 

To go into nature is the answer and she beckons us as she always has…we just forgot.

Many are traveling by car to see loved ones, stopping and smelling the roses, camping, and getting to know what has been intrinsically overlooked. The remembrance of our connection to all aspects of nature, including each other, is part of the remedy to our present situation. 

Fresh air and gathering out in the open with relatively few people is healing us at this time.

We are regaining a certain simplicity that is necessary for life to thrive. We now have gardens of many kinds to tend; some for the very first time. We have barriers to break regarding fear. We must fight for those who live in fear because of the color of their skin. We must fight for Mother Earth or we don’t stand a chance. 

Our relationship with Her will pave the way.

These last two weeks, we had many conversations regarding sustainability, ignorance, privilege, history, strife, colonization, and oppression that must be had. We all have much work to do on every level to reach out and connect with those who do not have the same skin color. 

We must see our integral connection to others, whether that be people or trees.  

It’s all part of one thing.

Life in the balance.

I leave you with an important Hopi message: