“We dedicate this yellow-gold magic encapsulated in the bundle of yarn to unsung heroes–plants that grow in cracks in cement.” People Binding the Earth in Fargo, ND by Maya Gelfman and Roie Avidan. Photo by Mind the Heart
|
For our People Binding the Earth project, we’re encouraging people to carry some of our organic golden yarn wherever they go, so they can make a little gift of beauty for hurt places when and where they encounter them. But sometimes, it seems, that special yarn has to travel a long way before it finds the right home. The story below is from Maya Gelfman and Roie Avidan, a young Israeli couple who created Mind the Heart, an ongoing project to call attention to neglected places with red yarn. It was their work that was a big inspiration to us to launch People Binding the Earth. Roie and Maya are currently traveling around the U.S. in their van and have rejuvenated many places en route, from the Ojai Foundation to the Houston City Hall to the National Cathedral. Here’s the saga of the golden yarn we sent them for their Global Earth Exchange.
We have been carrying this magical thread with us, everywhere, since we returned from DC to Seattle.
It went with us to the Olympic Peninsula, to North Cascades, through countless tiny towns across Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming. It accompanied us to expanses in Glacier National Park and through flowering creeks in the Black Hills. From Devil’s Tower to alleyways in Billings to farms in Newcastle.
All this time, we were searching for the right spot. A place where the thread would fit, and that would fit the thread.
We envisioned burnt husks of trees where fires had passed, upturned & injured earth in the mining lands, romantic dilapidated structures by the side of the road.
And through this all, it never felt right.
Then, yesterday in Fargo, North Dakota, the yellow thread found its spot. No drama, nothing monumental. “Just” a green being protruding from the sidewalk.
We dedicate this yellow-gold magic encapsulated in the bundle of yarn to unsung heroes–plants that grow in cracks in cement. We see them on the sidewalks, on walls, growing and living in unpredictable places, against all odds. They’re here to remind us that all of this urban habitat that we have created is a part of and built upon a natural habitat.
And that nature prevails. Nature finds a way. It’s here to give us perspective and to remind us that we are part of it all–the living web of all things.
Our connection to and respect of this web can and should start anywhere we are, and from there expand to encompass it all.
We invite you to be part of People Binding the Earth, too! See the block below for details.
|
|
To discover other stories of inspiring people, stories, photos, and ideas, subscribe to
|
MORE RADICAL JOY REVEALED
“There’s No Wounding Here”
Every now and then, around this time of year, in the weeks leading up to the Global Earth Exchange, someone emails to tell me they’d like to participate in our annual event of giving beauty [...]
Do It Though No One Notices
A young woman I know who lives in North Carolina considers herself an ardent environmental activist. She belongs to the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society, works for an organization that runs therapeutic wilderness programs [...]
In Memory of a Cardinal
Radical Joy for Hard Times has always urged our members around the world to give attention and beauty to those places and beings that have meaning for them. It’s not necessary to seek out some [...]