On Nature and human connectedness
Welcome back. It’s been a while. I was so preoccupied with a few emerging projects that I couldn’t sit down and write about Nature connectedness and digital wellbeing for quite some time. That is not to say I am neglecting both. Digital and mental wellbeing is an active practice, even if we do not talk or write about it. As mentioned in my last post on the topic, summer took its time, and it is finally here. I am typing it up on a sunny, hot day.
The summer solstice has passed, and we are starting to harvest potatoes, berries, apples and plums. The spring and early summer were so wet that courgettes and pumpkin plants did not stand a chance. Slugs attack even our borage plants this year. So, it seems to be the year of potatoes instead.
It is also a year of roses – so many of them are struggling with illnesses but are opening up beautiful blooms this year – but this is not to be taken for granted. Our butterfly bushes have only started attracting butterflies, but there are so few of them! At least the ever-resilient lavender supports insects in our garden and the allotment. The seasons feel early, so I have already started feeding the birds – I am worried about their survival this winter.
As I cross from spring to summer, I think a lot about our connection with Nature, each other, the wider world and ourselves. This comes up a lot in my counselling and coaching work at the moment. I listen to many talks about animism and the interconnectedness of human bodies with the world around us. I fall in love with hydro-feminism and other beautiful movements. Where do we really end, and the outer world begins? I think of the quote on our allotment shed:
“We forget we’re
mostly water
till the rain falls
and every atom
in our body
starts to go home.”
― Albert Huffstickler
We forget. We forget and are made to forget that we are all connected. The disconnect from Nature is troubling, of course. Even more terrifying is the increasing disconnect from our own selves (yes, presenting itself in multiple moments of mindless social media scrolling or communicating with family through shared Instagram reels). We forget we ARE Nature. We are bodies of water and of life.
Reflection
Today, I invite you to remember your calm and trusted connection with yourself, your humanity and the Nature within you. Use the prompt statement below to think, feel into, get creative, and discuss with someone close to you the idea of Nature within us and around us, without firm, sharp edges but with fluid, pulsating boundaries or flows:
- “I am Nature.”
- “I am water.”
- “I am fire.”
- “I am earth.”
- “I am air.”
- “I am life/alive.”
- “I am sunshine.”
- “I am moonlight.”
- “I am mountains, valleys, seaside.”
(I hope you will find time and space for a bit of light playfulness with this reflective exercise. I will be entering the weekend of the Bristol Harbour Festival thinking about our connection with water and reading this book, which reminds me of the natural flow of time. Be well!)
