Gorgeous photos and observations, Aaryn! I am also always preoccupied with noticing and recording firsts through the seasons. I think it is a way of working the natural cycles into myself, becoming more and more part of it, so that I know around what bend to expect a sea of crocuses in late winter, and when and where the foxgloves will grow. It's a "useless" thing, which is also a way of stepping outside of productivity and profit, and just being present.
Thank you! And YES - I’ve been obsessed, my entire adult life, with “being of” a place, as opposed to just in it or living there separately next to it. It’s the engagement for me: drinking the water, eating the wild food, the noticing, is all about attuning myself to the rhythms. It becomes a relationship. I think something special happens when a person turns to the place they dwell, pays attention. In my experience, places notice you back.
Gorgeous photos and observations, Aaryn! I am also always preoccupied with noticing and recording firsts through the seasons. I think it is a way of working the natural cycles into myself, becoming more and more part of it, so that I know around what bend to expect a sea of crocuses in late winter, and when and where the foxgloves will grow. It's a "useless" thing, which is also a way of stepping outside of productivity and profit, and just being present.
Thank you! And YES - I’ve been obsessed, my entire adult life, with “being of” a place, as opposed to just in it or living there separately next to it. It’s the engagement for me: drinking the water, eating the wild food, the noticing, is all about attuning myself to the rhythms. It becomes a relationship. I think something special happens when a person turns to the place they dwell, pays attention. In my experience, places notice you back.
Absolutely! It is so rewarding to realise that your relationship with place and nature is symbiotic. Being of a place is a great way to put it.