Month: July 2023

Four years ago this week, my sisters, their families, and I scattered the co-mingled ashes of my mom and dad over the farm where they had lived for over 50 years. It was a windy day as I opened the wooden box and lifted the plastic bag of ashes into the air to float over the cornfields. I was pleased to return my parents to the land that they loved.

Farmers are folks that appreciate the land. My father embodied a land ethic. When he retired and sold the farm, the county conservation agent said 1 ½ inches more topsoil was on the land than when he had begun farming decades earlier. He practiced conservation practices such as crop rotation, contour farming, and using natural and artificial fertilizers. Large-scale farming today uses quite different methods for food production.

My dad and mom were land stewards. They cared for their land by considering all that it had to offer. Wendell Berry, one of the foremost spokespeople for stewardship, contends that few people are directly connected to land today as they once were when we were an agrarian society. Therefore, it is heartening when people feel a connection to land. Loving the land occurs when people get to know an area intimately by living and/or recreating on it.

I volunteer with a land conservancy in my community. Our organization has protected over 10,000 acres of land in the Estes Valley. The provisions of these land easements limit development and help to preserve the landscapes and wildlife habitats here. Recently a landowner donated his property to the land trust. One of our board members described how much he loved his land and wanted to guarantee its conservation for future generations of humans and non-humans.

I do not own any land but feel a deep stewardship regarding the 265,807 acres that comprise Rocky Mountain National Park. This park is my park, just as it is the national park of all US residents. My heart hurts when I see damage done in the park. I am a guardian of this resource and do everything in my power to assure that the land and animals are not harmed. I hope that some day my ashes will be scattered across this landscape that I love.

I have a thistle along a path near my house that I have nurtured for two years. As a “Weed Warrior” in the park, I am delighted to slay invasive thistles such as Musk and Bull Thistles. Canada thistles are hated noxious weeds. However, my thistle is a native Wavy Leaf Thistle that I hope will propagate to the meadow near my house.

The delight I have with my thistle reminds me of one of my favorite tales, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In the story, the narrator pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert. A little boy, a prince, appears out of nowhere and they become friends. The prince comes from a far-away planet where his most prized possession is a rose. The prince describes his previous experiences on other planets including his encounter with a fox who taught him to realize how important it is to know others, including roses.

The book has other subthemes but the idea about loving a rose resonates with me. “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important” says the fox.

I also find other inspiring words from the fox who said to the little prince:

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”

I have put a placard by my thistle saying what it is and asking the landscape people and anyone else walking by not to destroy this plant. It reminds me daily of the admission in The Little Prince, “and now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” To others, my thistle means little. To me, however, it is a wondrous plant that I am eager to greet each day.

Seeing what sometimes is invisible to others seems foundational for nurturing relationships with people as well as with roses and native thistles.

I am a biophilic. I believe humans need a connection to nature to survive. Part of this biophilia is embodied in a house decorated with objects that reinforce my love of nature.

When I lived in North Carolina, I had items depicting mountains since I longed to live in them. When I moved to Colorado, I brought those watercolors, paintings, and framed photographs with me. As I thought about where to hang them, it occurred to me that I could see “real” mountains every direction outside my windows. Did I need those wall hangings in my new home? I hung most of them. I realized how important it was to bring the outdoors inside as well as to experience it outside every chance I had. Home decorating with nature spoke to my heart.

As a farm girl, I was connected to variety in nature. For example, I was, and continue to be, fascinated by all shades of green as well as big natural rolling landscapes and intricate colors and designs.

I recently came across an article about bringing nature indoors. Unbeknown to me I had been doing that for years as I look around my house. One aspect that predominates in my house if the use of natural colors and images. My photographs, paintings, and hanging quilts emphasize nature’s calm images that bring peace to me.

Another suggestion for bringing nature in relates to nurturing leafy plants. I don’t have a green thumb but have special plants that elicit joy for me. I have the Christmas cacti that are offspring of a plant once owned by naturalist Sigurd Olsen. I also have a 25-year-old Norfolk Island Pine that stands seven feet tall that I have parented for years.

Other ideas offered for bringing nature into one’s home include nature’s scents, nature’s sounds, and paying attention to textures. I enjoy burning incense or candles that have evergreen scents. I love having windows open so I can hear the breeze in the trees as well as listen to the early morning sounds of birds singing. Further, I have been buying log furnishings for years and nature is obvious in those assets. I just remodeled my fireplace with new stone walls.

Thomas Doherty, a clinical and environmental psychologist noted that recognizing which natural environments speak to an individual is important. I embrace my biophilia and cherish positive experiences in the outdoors that I highlight in my home.

Happiness is an emotion. According to the Declaration of Independence, it is an unalienable right. I have more time in my retirement to think about life’s philosophical issues, and I ponder the meanings of my pursuit of happiness.

Psychiatrist Gregory Scott Brown noted that “Happiness is fleeting.” Emotions such as happiness and sadness come and go. I wish I could be happy all the time, but that isn’t realistic. Brown suggests that happiness is NOT a state of being. Happiness is a moving target. Always expecting happiness can result in unrealistic perceptions about what is achievable.

Brown says that for life to be meaningful, focusing on fulfillment as a way of life is more feasible than happiness. Thinking about what fulfills me has given me a new perspective about my day to day living. My life is blessed even though I wish some aspects were different. I am grateful that my glass is “half full.”

I experience happy moments every day—a musical bird call, seeing a baby animal, hearing a beautiful melody, waking to a colorful sunrise, getting a special email from a friend. I am grateful for the smiles that come to my face when something stirs my soul. I am learning, however, that it is the relationships that I have that create fulfillment in my life.

Satisfying relationships for me are volunteering, sharing special occasions with friends, participating in learning opportunities, and making personal connections with people I don’t know. I feel happy about these associations that provide a sense of fulfillment.

I also find fulfillment in writing this weekly blog. It gives me ideas for rumination that I think about as I wander and go about my daily life. Some blog entries come easily; others are a challenge. Nevertheless, I feel fulfillment when I can express my thoughts for others to consider.

I appreciate moments of happiness. Moreover, I am grateful for the experiences with others and with writing that provide a state of being that sustains me each day.