Like many I know I am having some trouble keeping positive during this transition. I too turn to the natural world for some sense of peace. One spot I try to visit often is the Edmonds Marsh, a 22 acre estuary that we (a citizen group, now nicknamed the Marshians) hope to make into a 44 acre salmon run. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded there and the last time I went to the Marsh a male Belted Kingfisher posed for me on a snag. During the summer various blooming shrubs attract bumble bees and wasps and occasional butterflies. Several species of dragonflies patrol the cattails. It is only about a mile or so from my apartment.
David, That's a wonderful example of adopting a place! Thanks to you and your fellow Martians for working to document and expand the marsh into a salmon estuary. I bet that's a project that helps sustain you too, in these times (both personally and politically).
I'm sorry this past week has been so difficult. Relocating is a huge challenge and it isn't easy. Vitamin N is nourishment, but I hope things get a bit easier in the days ahead.
Thanks so much, Jill. It's only partly the move, and how wearing it is to still not be in my house and still have all of my stuff in boxes in a storage unit. My circle of friends is undergoing some serious challenges right now with cancer, heart surgery, and marriages dissolving. It's a lot. But I'm closing on my house Monday morning, so I'll be able to move in before Thanksgiving after more than a month in the cabin, which was not designed for either cold weather or long stays! At least I have a roof over my head, heat and hot water, and no one is bombing my neighborhood. It could be a lot worse, as I remind myself every day.
Just because no one is bombing your neighborhood doesn't mean that isn't a whole lot to contend with all at once. I'm so glad to hear you will be in your new home by the end of next week. I'm sure you're looking forward to some nesting time.
True, and thanks for understanding. I have realized over this month of being without my belongings that basically everything I own, from furniture to linens, art to books and clothing, has stayed with me through my many moves because it is meaningful to me. So being separated from those things that are meaningful to me has been very difficult, especially after the election. I am really, really in need of a nest again!
As we drove back to New Mexico from Las Vegas, Nevada where we went to visit with dear friends, I was again reminded of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful place. I only need to go out of my door to be embraced by beauty. The other tip I might add and that is keeping me sane these days is forcing myself to be with the people I love. I am an introvert by nature, but in these times, community is so important. I hope once you are able to move into your new home that things will become easier for you, Susan.
Our human community IS important, Phyllis. I agree wholeheartedly. I'm glad you and your hubs could go to Las Vegas, NV, to visit your friends and that coming home reminded you of the beauty around you there in Placitas and northern NM. It's good to remember our blessings, especially in these times. After over a month in the cabin, I am closing on my new house on Monday, so I'll be moved before Thanksgiving--yay!
I loved reading these comments. The lovely places of calm. My spot is the breakwater at Santa Barbara harbor. I inhaling the clean salty air, really looking at the differences each tide makes. I once kept a beach journal about walking Arroyo Burro Beach at sunrise every day of the year. Each day was different at the beach. I swear it! One day there was a fox eating in the kelp. Another day, tide was exceptionally low; another day I saw masses of ladybugs on the beach. I could go on. Observing ones spot is a great and spiritual joy. Thanks Susan for bring our attention to the benefits of Vitamin N
Penny, Your spot on the breakwater at Santa Barbara Harbor sounds lovely. And your daily beach journal reminds me of the rewards of fidelity to place: you come to know its particulars, as you did for Arroyo Burro Beach. The fox eating the kelp, the masses of ladybugs, the extreme low tide, revealing more than you had ever seen before of the intertidal zone.... All of that is part of belonging, and yes, as you say, brings joy in the spiritual and temporal sense. Maybe you will write about it sometime as a witness to that place. Blessings!
Thank you for the rituals. I will put them into practice, the ones I do not currently do. Rituals are a lovely way to both ground ourselves and access the mystic, which for me is crucial. Even small rituals, like the making of my fresh, ground coffee every early morning begin my day in a "right" as in the right path, way.
I agree that rituals both ground us and set us on a path of awareness of the sacred in the every day. One of the things I've realized in this Year of Spiritual Thinking is that recognizing and acknowledging the sacred in the quotidian is crucial to nurturing not just my spirit, but also my creativity. That's where ritual comes in, however simple.
I am a horse rider. Through my 70's I did many horse treks in different places around the world. I had the horses I own in France in a beautiful location with many different rides out into the nature all around. Then a few years ago I had to move my horses to a small private farm near my home with more limited access to a variety of different rides. I thought I would soon get bored with the one or two rides possible out from the farm. I am now 86 years old and to my surprise I find the 10 kilometres of paths around the farm have become more and more interesting. I don't ride on the roads, I ride my younger horse out with a loose retired horse and my dog and every ride we notice something new and different, a tree fallen in a storm, garlands of briony berries in the hedges revealed as their leaves fall, new aquatic activity in the pond we pass, high or low water levels in the two fords we splash through, etc. So different from what I would have imagined myself doing 20 years ago. And so restorative to the soul.
I love this. I also find myself going deeper rather than wider. Both have their appeal but it feels like ambitious adventure has ceded to curiosity and wonder.
Sylvia, You've encapsulated what is so important about nearby nature: those details of change and surprise and simple awareness. It is wonderful to explore widely; it is deeply nourishing to get to know a place in the kind of detail you notice as you ride out on familiar paths, looking for what is new. I am heartened to hear that at 86, you are still riding and still finding nourishment in nature around you. Blessings!
Thank you Susan, I am so grateful to be fit enough to ride and live outdoors a lot with my animals. We have grown older together and appreciate increasingly the time we spend with each other out in the natural world. I also read the natural environment with the eyes of a horse or a dog as well as having my own thoughts. Very enriching!
"Reading" the world through the eyes of other species IS enriching, Sylvia. We are better humans for that experience. I am so glad you have companions like yours to grow old with and to accompany and teach you as you live each day in wonder.
Susan - this post and all the comments have given me a real boost. The freely given gifts of nature’s love spilling over here. This morning, a lovely calm dawn suffused the trees and water with an ethereal pink light. You just know, Ahhhhh. Everything will be okay. 💕
Julie, Thank you for reading and absorbing. It's a treat to "hear" your voice here, and I am happy to give you some nourishment from the mom of us all, this earth and all the lives with whom we share this numinous planet. May the morning's ethereal pink light you witnessed this morning carry you onward. Thank you for your work! Blessings.
My love for nature is what sustains me these days. I am fortunate to have ready access to it. I love your meditation on focusing on the cardinal directions. Whenever I travel, I always locate them to help me orient myself to the new place.
Knowing our place--wherever we are helps us to be grounded, doesn't it? I am glad you live w here you have easy access to nature (though, really, we all do in some form or other) and that time with the community of the land is sustaining. Let this earth be your guide in healing and sustaining others! Blessings.
Thank you! I are a writer! (Hah) Seriously, I have thought deeply and written a good bit about our relationship with place and nature, and why it matters. This Substack is a small chunk of that thinking and writing.
Naila, The spruce in your courtyard is fortunate to have you in a reciprocal relationship. That love and care flows both ways, a gift that ripples outward as well. Thank you for your healing work with grieving and community. Blessings and a warm hug to you!
Like many I know I am having some trouble keeping positive during this transition. I too turn to the natural world for some sense of peace. One spot I try to visit often is the Edmonds Marsh, a 22 acre estuary that we (a citizen group, now nicknamed the Marshians) hope to make into a 44 acre salmon run. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded there and the last time I went to the Marsh a male Belted Kingfisher posed for me on a snag. During the summer various blooming shrubs attract bumble bees and wasps and occasional butterflies. Several species of dragonflies patrol the cattails. It is only about a mile or so from my apartment.
It's a good thing you and your fellow Marshians are doing. I don't think the next administration will place much emphasis on the environment...
I agree, Judy (to both points). It's an inspiring and important effort.
David, That's a wonderful example of adopting a place! Thanks to you and your fellow Martians for working to document and expand the marsh into a salmon estuary. I bet that's a project that helps sustain you too, in these times (both personally and politically).
I'm sorry this past week has been so difficult. Relocating is a huge challenge and it isn't easy. Vitamin N is nourishment, but I hope things get a bit easier in the days ahead.
Thanks so much, Jill. It's only partly the move, and how wearing it is to still not be in my house and still have all of my stuff in boxes in a storage unit. My circle of friends is undergoing some serious challenges right now with cancer, heart surgery, and marriages dissolving. It's a lot. But I'm closing on my house Monday morning, so I'll be able to move in before Thanksgiving after more than a month in the cabin, which was not designed for either cold weather or long stays! At least I have a roof over my head, heat and hot water, and no one is bombing my neighborhood. It could be a lot worse, as I remind myself every day.
Just because no one is bombing your neighborhood doesn't mean that isn't a whole lot to contend with all at once. I'm so glad to hear you will be in your new home by the end of next week. I'm sure you're looking forward to some nesting time.
True, and thanks for understanding. I have realized over this month of being without my belongings that basically everything I own, from furniture to linens, art to books and clothing, has stayed with me through my many moves because it is meaningful to me. So being separated from those things that are meaningful to me has been very difficult, especially after the election. I am really, really in need of a nest again!
Nesting is crucial for well-being!
It is. At all levels: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.
I get it. I am a nester and
love being with my books, dishes, linens, groceries, it is called, " home"! Thinking of you. So excited as you soon will be in your new home! Be well!
Exactly: all of those "things" make a home. Thank you!
As we drove back to New Mexico from Las Vegas, Nevada where we went to visit with dear friends, I was again reminded of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful place. I only need to go out of my door to be embraced by beauty. The other tip I might add and that is keeping me sane these days is forcing myself to be with the people I love. I am an introvert by nature, but in these times, community is so important. I hope once you are able to move into your new home that things will become easier for you, Susan.
Our human community IS important, Phyllis. I agree wholeheartedly. I'm glad you and your hubs could go to Las Vegas, NV, to visit your friends and that coming home reminded you of the beauty around you there in Placitas and northern NM. It's good to remember our blessings, especially in these times. After over a month in the cabin, I am closing on my new house on Monday, so I'll be moved before Thanksgiving--yay!
Today is Monday! Thinking of you Susan as you close on your new house and begin this next chapter. Sending best wishes!
I loved reading these comments. The lovely places of calm. My spot is the breakwater at Santa Barbara harbor. I inhaling the clean salty air, really looking at the differences each tide makes. I once kept a beach journal about walking Arroyo Burro Beach at sunrise every day of the year. Each day was different at the beach. I swear it! One day there was a fox eating in the kelp. Another day, tide was exceptionally low; another day I saw masses of ladybugs on the beach. I could go on. Observing ones spot is a great and spiritual joy. Thanks Susan for bring our attention to the benefits of Vitamin N
Penny, Your spot on the breakwater at Santa Barbara Harbor sounds lovely. And your daily beach journal reminds me of the rewards of fidelity to place: you come to know its particulars, as you did for Arroyo Burro Beach. The fox eating the kelp, the masses of ladybugs, the extreme low tide, revealing more than you had ever seen before of the intertidal zone.... All of that is part of belonging, and yes, as you say, brings joy in the spiritual and temporal sense. Maybe you will write about it sometime as a witness to that place. Blessings!
Beautiful rituals! I will link to them.
Thank you so much, Priscilla. I am weary of being in temporary housing and looking forward to being home again. Blessings!
Congratulations, Susan. I know you will feel better once you are settled. Let me know once you're in and I'll shoot that magazine your way.
Thanks, Phyllis! I'll be in my new house Monday, so you can mail it anytime. Nothing gets here that quickly.... :)
Thank you for the rituals. I will put them into practice, the ones I do not currently do. Rituals are a lovely way to both ground ourselves and access the mystic, which for me is crucial. Even small rituals, like the making of my fresh, ground coffee every early morning begin my day in a "right" as in the right path, way.
I agree that rituals both ground us and set us on a path of awareness of the sacred in the every day. One of the things I've realized in this Year of Spiritual Thinking is that recognizing and acknowledging the sacred in the quotidian is crucial to nurturing not just my spirit, but also my creativity. That's where ritual comes in, however simple.
Yes! Creativity and the sacred are hand fasted.
I am a horse rider. Through my 70's I did many horse treks in different places around the world. I had the horses I own in France in a beautiful location with many different rides out into the nature all around. Then a few years ago I had to move my horses to a small private farm near my home with more limited access to a variety of different rides. I thought I would soon get bored with the one or two rides possible out from the farm. I am now 86 years old and to my surprise I find the 10 kilometres of paths around the farm have become more and more interesting. I don't ride on the roads, I ride my younger horse out with a loose retired horse and my dog and every ride we notice something new and different, a tree fallen in a storm, garlands of briony berries in the hedges revealed as their leaves fall, new aquatic activity in the pond we pass, high or low water levels in the two fords we splash through, etc. So different from what I would have imagined myself doing 20 years ago. And so restorative to the soul.
I love this. I also find myself going deeper rather than wider. Both have their appeal but it feels like ambitious adventure has ceded to curiosity and wonder.
Sylvia, You've encapsulated what is so important about nearby nature: those details of change and surprise and simple awareness. It is wonderful to explore widely; it is deeply nourishing to get to know a place in the kind of detail you notice as you ride out on familiar paths, looking for what is new. I am heartened to hear that at 86, you are still riding and still finding nourishment in nature around you. Blessings!
Thank you Susan, I am so grateful to be fit enough to ride and live outdoors a lot with my animals. We have grown older together and appreciate increasingly the time we spend with each other out in the natural world. I also read the natural environment with the eyes of a horse or a dog as well as having my own thoughts. Very enriching!
"Reading" the world through the eyes of other species IS enriching, Sylvia. We are better humans for that experience. I am so glad you have companions like yours to grow old with and to accompany and teach you as you live each day in wonder.
Susan - this post and all the comments have given me a real boost. The freely given gifts of nature’s love spilling over here. This morning, a lovely calm dawn suffused the trees and water with an ethereal pink light. You just know, Ahhhhh. Everything will be okay. 💕
Julie, Thank you for reading and absorbing. It's a treat to "hear" your voice here, and I am happy to give you some nourishment from the mom of us all, this earth and all the lives with whom we share this numinous planet. May the morning's ethereal pink light you witnessed this morning carry you onward. Thank you for your work! Blessings.
My love for nature is what sustains me these days. I am fortunate to have ready access to it. I love your meditation on focusing on the cardinal directions. Whenever I travel, I always locate them to help me orient myself to the new place.
Knowing our place--wherever we are helps us to be grounded, doesn't it? I am glad you live w here you have easy access to nature (though, really, we all do in some form or other) and that time with the community of the land is sustaining. Let this earth be your guide in healing and sustaining others! Blessings.
That is so thoughtfully stated.
Thank you! I are a writer! (Hah) Seriously, I have thought deeply and written a good bit about our relationship with place and nature, and why it matters. This Substack is a small chunk of that thinking and writing.
I love your practice of adopting a spot, which is what I've done with the spruce in my courtyard. So grateful for Vitamin N - and for your wisdom!
Naila, The spruce in your courtyard is fortunate to have you in a reciprocal relationship. That love and care flows both ways, a gift that ripples outward as well. Thank you for your healing work with grieving and community. Blessings and a warm hug to you!
It truly does. I feel it every time I visit. Warm hugs to you and wishes for much nourishment this week, dear Susan.
I am finally moving into my new house tomorrow. My spirit has been longing to be settled again, and I can't wait!
Yay!!!! Happy settling and nesting, friend.