Nature can heal. Sometimes we need a break from information coming at us, or the practical needs of life. In the foreword to Late in the Day: Poems 2010-2014, Ursula K. Le Guin writes, “Skill in living, awareness of belonging to the world, delight in being part of the world, always tends to involve knowing our kinship as animal with animals. … One way to stop seeing trees, or river, or hills only as ‘natural resources,’ is to class them as fellow beings – kinfolk.”
“Poetry is the human language that can try to say what a tree or a rock or a river is, that is, to speak humanly for it, in both sense of the of the word ‘for.’… So we admit stones to our holy communion; so the stones may admit us to theirs.”
Amen!! I’ve been reading Mary Oliver poems, and that’s helping!!
By: mariagianferrari on February 14, 2017
at 7:33 pm
That’s great to hear. We need to get filled up to stay strong. I just uncovered my copy of Mary Oliver’s Upstream from a pile — I’d savored about half the essays, then got distracted by other reading. I’m looking forward to returning!
By: jeannineatkins on February 15, 2017
at 1:37 am
Oh, my! Our kinfolk!!
By: Sarah Lamstein on February 14, 2017
at 11:15 pm
Sometimes it’s good to be in a poetic, woodsy, Ursula Le Guiny world!
By: jeannineatkins on February 15, 2017
at 1:37 am
Beautiful, thank you!
By: jama on February 15, 2017
at 1:14 pm
And thanks for all your reminders to focus on goodness and beauty, which does give us strength.
By: jeannineatkins on February 16, 2017
at 12:53 am
Mmmmmm, yes.
By: Melodye Shore on February 15, 2017
at 9:16 pm
Thanks for all your reminders of nature’s goodness!
By: jeannineatkins on February 16, 2017
at 12:53 am
Nature and dogs…my kind of day 🙂
By: Laurie on February 16, 2017
at 3:53 am
Glad to share! No dogs in it, but I’m loving Birds Art Life by Kyo Maclear — pressing it into your (virtual) hands!
By: jeannineatkins on February 16, 2017
at 1:59 pm
Jeannine, I love this! Thank you ~ xo
By: Amy on February 23, 2017
at 9:49 pm
Thank you, Amy!
By: jeannineatkins on February 24, 2017
at 1:21 am