When the newly formed Radical Joy for Hard Times board of directors met for the first time in the spring of 2009, one of the many things we talked about was how to launch our new organization. The idea that arose months later was a big event, to be held in June 2010. We would invite people around the world to go to a “wounded place” near them, share stories about what the place means to them, and give it some beauty and attention.

We called the event the Global Earth Exchange, since it was an exchange of gifts between people and place. And it occurred on all seven continents: Antarctica, Australia, Asia (Bali, Japan, and India), South America (Bolivia), Africa (South Africa), Europe (Ireland, England, Germany, Switzerland, and the Baltic Sea), and all over the United States.

At Cobb Island Station, Virginia, the staff and friends of the World Healing Institute (WHI) explored “The Flip Side of Phragmites.” Phragmites (prounounced frag-MITE-ees) is a tall invasive plant that grows in wetlands and, as host Annie Hess, later wrote us, it had some surprises in store.

A local expert “wildcrafter” guided participants in using phragmites stalks to make bird houses, baskets, and anything else that inspired them. They also wove the plant into the letters WHI, which they laid out on the lawn As a special touch, they hung the Radical Joy flag on a “phrag pole.”

Annie wrote, “As we discussed and meditated on the nature of phragmites, one woman commented that it was here to teach us about balance. Another shared the online research that listed the many ways Native Americans used phragmites. We all listened to the wind whistle through the stalks and marveled at the birds that have found ways to adapt to living in phragmites.”

As if these glimpses into the secret delights of a notorious pest plant were not enough to inspire creativity, a couple of weeks later, a group of children came to WHI for a workshop. Supplied with paint, glitter, and feathers, they turned phragmites stalks into “phragic” wands.

Our first Global Earth Exchange was so popular that we decided to do it again the following year. June 17, 2023 will mark the fourteenth year of this beloved event. More details will be available soon, but for now, mark your calendar.