Week 12- First Week Without Going to My Spot in Nature Journal
Revised: 11/16/2018 11:25 p.m.
- Nov. 16, 2018, 1 a.m.
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- Public
This week has been crazy. It was a reminder that life happens fast and is unapologetic. I was unable to go to my spot, or work, or school. Since I couldn’t leave my house I was reminded how hard it is to be cooped up in your house instead of breathing fresh air. From reading 3 different sections of the Suzuki book, I was reminded at how significant of a role nature really does play in our lives.
At some point in the book he mentions that we have to take vitamins since we couldn’t possibly get all of the nutrients we need, even though nature gives them to us freely.
He talks a lot about water being the giver and essence of life, and how soil is actually what lets things grow.
I really like the beginning of the chapter on soil where he mentions the Hebrew words for Adam and Eve. Adam, or adama means “earth, soil”, and Eve comes from hava, that means “living”. I found this to be a profound example of not only the constructs of language, but the importance of soil. I can see this more with the many stories of how the world came to have humankind. In Mesopotamia, they were brought up from clay, which Suzuki also mentions as playing a vital role in out eco-system. A version of Chinese tales also tells of Pangu, who was born from an egg and created man from clay. Clearly, from every perspective, dirt is a life-bringer that is acknowledged across the globe. It is the source of all our food, and how we even build our homes many times. We use it in so many ways that we don’t even think of.
As for the cyclical aspect of it, it is where we are put when we are dead, and with this death, it causes new growth. I think this is a rather beautiful way of showing that our life has meaning even in death.
Although I couldn’t get outside and go to my nature spot this week, I think it will make next week’s visit all the more important.
Last updated November 16, 2018
pgherron ⋅ November 18, 2018
I too have been confined to my house. First it was the broken rib and now we are hiding indoors from the horribly unhealthy smoke from the Camp Fire up in Butte County. My asthma means trying for as little exposure as possible and going masked outside all the time. It seems rather apocryphal thinking that this could be a way of life for our future. I'm sorry to hear you had problems and were also confined to home. Makes us appreciate what we're missing, doesn't it?
katacon pgherron ⋅ November 23, 2018
I have family near the Los Angeles area and they've been saying the same thing. It really is scary to see all that is happening right now, and realizing that it will only get worse from here on out. I hope you have a speedy recovery and enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Staying in really does make us appreciate the smaller things!