People are Looking for Another Way + I Feel a Calibration of my Spirit When I + Old Man’s Wisdom
Good Morning from Prince Edward Island,
I love sunrise. I love walking through the woods and seeing green shoots stretching for a glimpse of the sun.
I love the sound of woodpeckers doing their mating call. It cracks me up to think they are banging their head through the extension of their beak against a tree.
Reading 21 books was my goal for 2021. I have completed or *started the following:
Blood on the Water by Silver Donald Cameron.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
Peace and Good Order by Harold R. Johnson.
How to Avoid Climate Disaster by Bill Gates.
Man at Arms by Stephen Pressfield.
Aspire by Kevin Hall.
*The Tea Girl from Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See.
(should finish this weekend, lovin’ it)
*Canoeing the Mountains by Tod E. Bolsinger.
*Promised Land by Barack Obama.
*Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
Peace and Good Order by Harold R. Johnson.
How to Avoid Climate Disaster by Bill Gates.
Man at Arms by Stephen Pressfield.
Aspire by Kevin Hall.
*The Tea Girl from Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See.
(should finish this weekend, lovin’ it)
*Canoeing the Mountains by Tod E. Bolsinger.
*Promised Land by Barack Obama.
*Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
*Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez
It seems that my reading habits are growing into having two books on the go: one fiction and one non.
Early last month, over a few days, two people suggested I read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. (Thank you, Vicki and Helen)
The author, a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation describes her book as “an invitation to celebrate the gifts of the earth.”
This morning I found a few articles in the New York Times and the UK Guardian about Robin.
I read she feels her message is resonating now because. “When we’re looking at things we cherish falling apart, when inequities and injustices are so apparent, people are looking for another way that we can be living. We need interdependence rather than independence, and Indigenous knowledge has a message of valuing connection, especially to the humble.”
She prefers to work outside. She states that she “moves between what I think of as the microscope and the telescope,” observing small things in the natural world that serve as microcosms for big ideas.
Kimmerer explains, “The other day I was raking leaves in my garden to make compost, and it made me think, This is our work as humans in this time: to build good soil in our gardens, to build good soil culturally and socially, and to create potential for the future. What will endure through almost any kind of change? The regenerative capacity of the earth. We can help create conditions for renewal.”
This made me think about how many invisible miracles do I walk past every time I go out for a walk?
"A human being is a part of the whole
called by us universe, a part limited in time and space.
He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our
personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening
our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and
the whole of nature in its beauty." ~ Albert Einstein
When I take the time to sit on the forest floor and listen; and give thanks, I feel a calibration of my spirit.
"In every living thing, there is the desire for love." ~ D. H. Lawrence
When I take the time to lay down in a field and look up and see cotton ball clouds against the contrasting blue skies and give thanks, I feel a calibration of my spirit.
When I hear the choir created by the forest’s bird angels; and give thanks, I feel a calibration of my spirit.
"Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together. All things connect." ~ Chief Seattle
After our walk, I sat down to write this blog and wanted to listen more to what I had experienced this morning.
If unable to leave the confines of your space to enjoy the gift of the natural world, put the video on and let it be.
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have
if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
– Jawaharial Nehru.
Let's go on a water adventure.
Katherine MacLaine, our graphic designer took a stroll yesterday and captured the moment. She blesses us with her many talents. One of many is her ability to frame beauty through her photography.
You will also notice the considerable damage we experienced on one of our paths. The work to regrade the path starts next week. I see many loads of shale and heavy equipment coming upon the Gardens of Hope.
Check out Katherine’s photography. Click Here to see the the Gardens of Hope Blog.
"Honor all living things, for we are of the stag, and the salmon, and the bee; so destroy not life, save it be to preserve your own." ~ Scott Cunningham
May you get outside to get ‘inside' this weekend.
And may joy be your constant companion and more than an acquaintance next week.
With love from Prince Edward Island,
Bruce + Millie
"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." ~ Phyllis Diller
ps. Your Morning Smile
The strong young man at the construction site was bragging that he could out-do anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of one of the older workmen. After several minutes, one older worker had had enough.
"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is," he said. "I will bet a week's wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that outbuilding that you won't be able to wheel back."
"You're on, old man," the braggart replied. "Let's see what you got."
The old man reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then, nodding to the young man, he said, "All right. Get in."
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