Agree! I was building a trail for my kids and was amazed by how rejuvenated I felt after a short time in the woods. I literally felt intoxicated, like I was on stimulants. Since COVID theater began I switched from searching google/Wikipedia to science journals, And what do you know, this phenomenon has been well studied: “shinrin yoku” (forest-bathing). Evidently the raking, cutting branches and pulling vines stirred up lots of chemicals in the air. Unfortunately, I was attacked by chigger bugs, and had to take a break, but can’t wait to resume my trail building. :)
Great points! Separating us from the natural world sure hasn't led to more happiness... maybe time to go back to what worked before. Simpler, greener (the real kind), kinder, and more connected.
As one of the truly blessed, I have been able to spend most of my life actually living in a rural environment. And working, far too often, in urban shitholes. The environments are dramatically different - as, sadly, are the people. But as you so eloquently reminded us, "they" can't defeat nature. Gaia ALWAYS triumphs!
To our wannabe lords and masters, 'nature' is only good if it is "tamed". Look at most urban parks, what you can see of them through the maze of 'thou shalt not' signage. Nothing natural! Everything trimmed pruned, manicured, sprayed, and "managed". That version of "nature" it seems, is acceptable. Because "they" perceive no threat in a totally controlled environment.
Thank you for pointing out the Zen of the garden. There is much peace to be found watching, (and listening), to the bees in the flowers. There is an immense satisfaction watching swallows in the dusk, as they do their swooping best to reduce the mosquito population. If you listen for it, the sound of the wind in trees, punctuated by birdsong, can (mentally) help drown out the constant urban cacophony.
I would never trade my endless mountain views, deer in the yard, or time watching the eagles and ospreys fish in the river, for life in a city, but perhaps, for those who must live in the urban jungles, a garden can be a place of peace and joy. I hope it is so.
In April 2020, North Carolina decided that shutting down all of the state parks would be a good idea. This was one of the things that told me that we were crossing the line from stupid to malicious. At that point, I still thought that the government cared about its citizens, so I wrote email upon email to the state parks department saying things like "fresh air and sunshine are healthy" and "exercise is necessary for a strong immune system", but of course they all fell on deaf ears.
Thank you for plugging local meat. It's one of the most practical steps we can take to avoid eating ze bugs.
Love this article. I feel so fortunate as I had spent almost 30 years in the ground pounding sespool called the city. I hated it. I always hated it. Unfortunately, sometimes we get "stuck" in places we don't want to be.
My fortune was moving to an entire different state, and being able to live, literally in the middle of know where. I no longer take mother earth for granted. I even sit outside on my deck in the winter, coffee in hand, while watching my plethora of winter birds. There's so much out there, even in cities, but sometimes people's eyes need to be open to see everything. Society has a tendency to walk around with horse blinders on, and they only see what's in front of them.
Taking that deep breath of air and smelling fresh rain thats falling a mile away, watching the butterflies finally show up to my wild flowers, seeing the squirrels steal the bird food to prepare for the upcoming winter, etc. etc, is a constant reminder that this is MY life, MY air, MY little world, and I will NEVER allow anyone to take my paradise.
There is little we can do that would have a big impact but there are countless small things we can do to keep our own lives in balance. I personally enjoy the act of mowing my lawn (50/50 grass/weeds). The past couple of days I spent a few hours cutting back tree limbs and vines from the two 60 foot tall pines in the adjacent empty lot. If the vines kill the trees my house and my neighbors house could be in the crosshairs if they topple over. In Florida high winds are not uncommon this time of year. Also, I have been monitoring the sunshine and shade on my little half acre to help in locating a vegetable garden between the live oaks this fall. Even though I am soaked through and through when I am done each day in this humidity, it is satisfying work. I don't ask for much from others in this world but I am prepared to defend even the little things that are important to me if or when they are censored or quarantined or mandated out of my experiences. To not defend those things is to not live my life but someone else's idea of what my life should be. I just won't put up with that.
So, fair warning to those who would impose restrictions on my freedom.
Disconnecting us from every natural and supernatural system means control. The more they disconnect us from what's real, the easier it is to control us. It's always about control.
“That Nature, God, Gaia, Mother Earth or whatever you may call it doesn’t know best”. And they have tried to do this with our own bodies too, scaring us that our own amazing natural born immune system can’t handle a respiratory virus. Trying to hoodwink us into thinking we should never ever get sick and that the only reason we are still alive as a species is due to vaccines. Man just needs to back off and leave nature alone. I’m happy to take my chances.
I really need to say this, and I'm sorry to be a downer, but if we don't stop these chem trails, we risk losing a lot of what we cherish, and if the plankton goes, we all go. So, I'm in the midst of a lot of upheaval, but also trying to figure out how I can stop this horrible attack on Nature... Any ideas are welcome... I am trying to figure out how/what to do in all this, what is my role, and how can I join the Protectors of Nature... There should be something like what JFK had the young folks doing... spend a year helping in other countries, building houses, digging wells, Peace Corps. It could be the Earth Corps, or something like that...
You write from the heart, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it! It flows, it's entirely understandable, it's not choppy or strangely put together... So take it from a professional proofreader/editor... It's so full of heart and warmth and honesty and just clear thinking, it couldn't be bad. It's GOOD! And that said, I love this, and I recognize in you what I see in myself... that connection to Nature is what makes life so so so so so good. Love. Thank you. xo
Beautiful rant! You hooked me with your description of what it is like watching the bees. I quit my lol-academia job over the mandates, and I now work outdoors again (which I did for many years, only at night). The bees are one of the best parts! They are so hypnotic! I watch them and get relaxed, think about just watching them some more....I have no worries, I feel peace--they are a miracle. Unmediated, no tech necessary. Love this inspiring post!
Agree! I was building a trail for my kids and was amazed by how rejuvenated I felt after a short time in the woods. I literally felt intoxicated, like I was on stimulants. Since COVID theater began I switched from searching google/Wikipedia to science journals, And what do you know, this phenomenon has been well studied: “shinrin yoku” (forest-bathing). Evidently the raking, cutting branches and pulling vines stirred up lots of chemicals in the air. Unfortunately, I was attacked by chigger bugs, and had to take a break, but can’t wait to resume my trail building. :)
Live life, for it is the only reality there is.
The sooner we all tear ourselves from the psychosis of the [tele]screen the quicker we will all heal wounds of the mob.
Use all of your senses to take in the wonders of the real world.
*THEY* will not win this battle for your soul.
Great points! Separating us from the natural world sure hasn't led to more happiness... maybe time to go back to what worked before. Simpler, greener (the real kind), kinder, and more connected.
As one of the truly blessed, I have been able to spend most of my life actually living in a rural environment. And working, far too often, in urban shitholes. The environments are dramatically different - as, sadly, are the people. But as you so eloquently reminded us, "they" can't defeat nature. Gaia ALWAYS triumphs!
To our wannabe lords and masters, 'nature' is only good if it is "tamed". Look at most urban parks, what you can see of them through the maze of 'thou shalt not' signage. Nothing natural! Everything trimmed pruned, manicured, sprayed, and "managed". That version of "nature" it seems, is acceptable. Because "they" perceive no threat in a totally controlled environment.
Thank you for pointing out the Zen of the garden. There is much peace to be found watching, (and listening), to the bees in the flowers. There is an immense satisfaction watching swallows in the dusk, as they do their swooping best to reduce the mosquito population. If you listen for it, the sound of the wind in trees, punctuated by birdsong, can (mentally) help drown out the constant urban cacophony.
I would never trade my endless mountain views, deer in the yard, or time watching the eagles and ospreys fish in the river, for life in a city, but perhaps, for those who must live in the urban jungles, a garden can be a place of peace and joy. I hope it is so.
In April 2020, North Carolina decided that shutting down all of the state parks would be a good idea. This was one of the things that told me that we were crossing the line from stupid to malicious. At that point, I still thought that the government cared about its citizens, so I wrote email upon email to the state parks department saying things like "fresh air and sunshine are healthy" and "exercise is necessary for a strong immune system", but of course they all fell on deaf ears.
Thank you for plugging local meat. It's one of the most practical steps we can take to avoid eating ze bugs.
Love this article. I feel so fortunate as I had spent almost 30 years in the ground pounding sespool called the city. I hated it. I always hated it. Unfortunately, sometimes we get "stuck" in places we don't want to be.
My fortune was moving to an entire different state, and being able to live, literally in the middle of know where. I no longer take mother earth for granted. I even sit outside on my deck in the winter, coffee in hand, while watching my plethora of winter birds. There's so much out there, even in cities, but sometimes people's eyes need to be open to see everything. Society has a tendency to walk around with horse blinders on, and they only see what's in front of them.
Taking that deep breath of air and smelling fresh rain thats falling a mile away, watching the butterflies finally show up to my wild flowers, seeing the squirrels steal the bird food to prepare for the upcoming winter, etc. etc, is a constant reminder that this is MY life, MY air, MY little world, and I will NEVER allow anyone to take my paradise.
There is little we can do that would have a big impact but there are countless small things we can do to keep our own lives in balance. I personally enjoy the act of mowing my lawn (50/50 grass/weeds). The past couple of days I spent a few hours cutting back tree limbs and vines from the two 60 foot tall pines in the adjacent empty lot. If the vines kill the trees my house and my neighbors house could be in the crosshairs if they topple over. In Florida high winds are not uncommon this time of year. Also, I have been monitoring the sunshine and shade on my little half acre to help in locating a vegetable garden between the live oaks this fall. Even though I am soaked through and through when I am done each day in this humidity, it is satisfying work. I don't ask for much from others in this world but I am prepared to defend even the little things that are important to me if or when they are censored or quarantined or mandated out of my experiences. To not defend those things is to not live my life but someone else's idea of what my life should be. I just won't put up with that.
So, fair warning to those who would impose restrictions on my freedom.
Disconnecting us from every natural and supernatural system means control. The more they disconnect us from what's real, the easier it is to control us. It's always about control.
“That Nature, God, Gaia, Mother Earth or whatever you may call it doesn’t know best”. And they have tried to do this with our own bodies too, scaring us that our own amazing natural born immune system can’t handle a respiratory virus. Trying to hoodwink us into thinking we should never ever get sick and that the only reason we are still alive as a species is due to vaccines. Man just needs to back off and leave nature alone. I’m happy to take my chances.
I really need to say this, and I'm sorry to be a downer, but if we don't stop these chem trails, we risk losing a lot of what we cherish, and if the plankton goes, we all go. So, I'm in the midst of a lot of upheaval, but also trying to figure out how I can stop this horrible attack on Nature... Any ideas are welcome... I am trying to figure out how/what to do in all this, what is my role, and how can I join the Protectors of Nature... There should be something like what JFK had the young folks doing... spend a year helping in other countries, building houses, digging wells, Peace Corps. It could be the Earth Corps, or something like that...
You write from the heart, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it! It flows, it's entirely understandable, it's not choppy or strangely put together... So take it from a professional proofreader/editor... It's so full of heart and warmth and honesty and just clear thinking, it couldn't be bad. It's GOOD! And that said, I love this, and I recognize in you what I see in myself... that connection to Nature is what makes life so so so so so good. Love. Thank you. xo
Beautiful rant! You hooked me with your description of what it is like watching the bees. I quit my lol-academia job over the mandates, and I now work outdoors again (which I did for many years, only at night). The bees are one of the best parts! They are so hypnotic! I watch them and get relaxed, think about just watching them some more....I have no worries, I feel peace--they are a miracle. Unmediated, no tech necessary. Love this inspiring post!