At The Roots
This is where we will begin again...
Growing plants over the years, working with soil, and studying the way the forest functions have taught me many things over the years. I suspect it will only continue as I age and experience more and more in life in the years to come. As I experience the ebbs and flows of being a human I continue to expand my ability to hear nature’s wisdom repeated to me. Even if I have worked a plant in the same multiple times, one new experience in my life will allow me the ability to hear the lesson it has to give me in a new way I hadn’t before.
This proved to be true once again this week. I don’t plan to relay my emotions about the outcome of the election, because my feelings I would assume would be obvious, and if they are not then that is a failure on my part. I do intend though to give you a way in which I see myself finding hope, resilience, and deeper passion for my work because of what happened this week.
In all honesty, any outcome would warrant my passion for healing land and our connection to it as humans to continue with the deepest passion one way or the other. I believe the work of connecting with soil, making it accessible to all, and cultivating spaces that celebrate nature’s wildness will be needed long past when I exist no matter who is our president or in charge, but sadly I think some leaders require us to dig in more than others.
Earlier this year, I shared a piece on here about using the Ecosystem of Climate Change as a model for healing the climate, but I think the model exists for more than just that problem that lies in front of us as environmentalists and lovers of the land. I believe the model serves as a way to shift anything in our world.
A forest knows how to heal itself and it all begins with the soil the plant begins with. The forest takes care of its soil more than anything else. Everything from the leaves of the trees and herbaceous plants drop on the floor to degrade to the very intricate world of decomposers that work to build the soil right alongside it. Everything plays a part in building the soil because the forest knows that without healthy soil there is no healthy canopy to protect the rest of the ecosystem below.
This week I realized more than ever just how much we have to head back towards this model once again to ask where we must begin or continue working.
Let me just share a story for you as an example. I have worked tirelessly for almost 6 years to begin an orchard on our hill. When I began my knowledge was new, fresh, and idealistic in all honesty. I bought the trees and I planted them. I didn’t feed their roots right, the water supply was wrong, and the mulching wasn’t enough. I failed those trees.
Then I tried again. This time, I fed them properly with rich compost. I foraged hens over them. I mulched them, created areas to hold the water despite the sandy soils they were planted in and now I have planted nutrient miners and soil-building plants like comfrey right alongside them so they could coexist. They are doing okay. Even now with my experience and knowledge and success in other places, this hill continues to show me that the work isn’t complete and how I must continue to learn, work, have humility, and adjust my sails in my efforts.
No matter how I prune or celebrate what these trees produce up top they are proving to me with their lack of growth that they are only as good as what I put into their roots and the base of what builds them. Growing a tree is no different than a human wanting to see change. We must continue to push into the things at the root of our communities, which are our friends, and the organizations making the changes we hope to see (the small ones in our little towns first and foremost before the big ones). We must begin with the thing that is at the root of causing the pain, fear, darkness, and more. We must give the kids solid ground to grow from in our homes and communities and we must be willing to sacrifice a whole lot to see it come to be because we believe that much in seeing it prosper.
My orchard is still a dream. I am rethinking the whole design ONCE again, but I know one day I will nail it and I will have gotten the soil right and listened closely enough to the needs of the trees that not only will they produce fruit for us, but they will be a healthy and integral part of the process as well. They too will drop leaves and be supports for the vines to grow just as tall as them. It will take time. It will take setbacks. It will take a lot of resilience and failure. It doesn’t deter me though. In fact every time there is a moment things don’t go as planned, I learn, I grow, I dig in deeper, and you can sure as hell believe that is what I will be doing into 2025 and beyond. I will pick up the shovel and keep going to build the soil in my community and theland around me to be better because I know it can be and it will be if I continue to be willing to show up.
The moment I stop caring for those trees on this hill, though, they will fail. The vision of an orchard will disappear and the invasive plants will take hold and the full and vibrant ecosystem I envision here will fall away because those plants will suck the soil dry of what is needed to build something great. I refuse to let that happen so I keep working at the soil till the right things don’t just take hold, but can flourish.
Building a healthy forest from the ground up is how I see what lies ahead of us. Planting trees both physically and metaphorically we will never see or feel the shade from, but I do believe more than ever the work is it still worthy of doing, if not more so.
From The Margins This Week
A few little bits from my notes over the week and one from the archives.
“We are nature, and to not allow ourselves to shift and change with the landscape around us is to miss something important that our body and soul doesn’t just long for but is designed to do.”
November
low clouds.
cool tones.
little left.
bare.
sun in the south.
garlic-scented hands.
dirt under the nails.
hoping for snow to hide the ends.
thankful for sun.
wool sweater.
early red sunset.
shadows shifting.
new realities.
moody waters.
ripping winds.
crisp mornings.
transitioning.
letting go.
holding hope tightly.
sinking in deeper to what brings light in the dark.
On my mind this week
September is a new vibe, so here are some things I am enjoying and thinking about right now.
Getting involved:
I got a few messages this week from people asking about places or ways to get involved in making an impact on the environment. First of all, I will say to shift anything we must start with the youngest among us. Whether you are a parent or not please find a way to get involved with kids or inspiring climate programs with kids. Young people particularly in Middle school are BEAUTIFUL humans that need us. Many times parents themselves are too busy in our world right now, but if you have even an extra hour or two a week, reach out to local public or private schools to get involved. It’s an easy way to make a big impact in your community. Kids are the future. We must feed them in any way we can. If you want change, begin with them. A 10-year-old will vote in 8 years (aka 2 election cycles)….REMEMBER THAT. If you are struggling with ideas, email me. I will get you in a direction. I also feel immense hope from kids of every age. They need those of us who are healthy balanced and hopeful individuals in the world especially those who aren’t their parents too.Burning the old:
I don’t know if there is a better time to burn things than right now. November is a time of endings. Every seed is laying itself into the soil. The trees have dropped their leaves and we are about to enter the time of fallowness and rest so we can rise again. Take note. This is when we find our ways to burn or let go of what no longer is serving us so we have space to grow in new ways. Start asking how to do this.Garlic Planting:
I usually plant my garlic just before Thanksgiving. This year I will do it again. When the plants rise a new world may lie in front of us. This is true any year but it just feels more monumental than ever. I think about this every time I plant garlic. What am I lying beneath those bulbs? Will I see it to be true? Will it be changed? A meditation on garlic planting may be in the works for next week to lead you through the process. Remember you can grab some garlic from your favorite farmer still and use that if you haven’t ordered any just yet.Wendell Berry:
My friend posted about an essay from Wendell I hadn’t read in a long time and reading it this week it felt aligned with my idea about healing and making change. Though I may say it requires both thinking big and small, nonetheless, Wendell challenged me to grow more convicted and focused on the life I live as he always has. I hadn’t read this essay in years and it felt good to approach it with new experiences.Bon Iver:
I have been non-stop listening to Bon Iver’s newest releases. They feel so well suited to the season and it feels really good to listen to them right now for my soul.Organizing and shedding:
I committed to spending 1 day a week focused on organizing something in the house. I so far am loving the practice so much. It is cleansing in so many ways. Our family and household have shifted from little kids to young kids and we have so much that needs shifting in our lives. I am enjoying having one day like this a week while the kids are at school. Though I love my work it feels like a way to care for myself every week.The Sweater Vest:
I am hunting thrift stores right now for the right sweaters and sweater vests. I love second-hand sweaters. I usually make a pin board of my style ideas to inspire my shopping so I know what I am looking for. It is honestly more fun and many times the items are higher quality too. I love the hunt for good quality things. My favorite place online is ThredUp. I buy a lot of my kids things and my clothes from them. Had a lot of success when I cannot find at local thrift stores.
One last note! I started a new series this week called Mimicking Nature. You can get a sneak peek of the series that will be for paid subscribers moving forward. I would also take any suggestions from you all about what would be interested to cover. Anything in the web of the ecosystem is open for topic.