Waking Up to the Land Beneath our Feet

Once again I was immensely grateful for the experience of paying attention to the land and space I inhabit. In the suburbs, I feel cold because I remember what was here only two years ago but I am careful to frame my anxiety with gratitude. My partner reminds me of the cycles the earth goes through and how spaces can be reclaimed. I feel as though we are united with the goal to give beauty back to the land without protesting its current form. This year for our act of kindness and gratitude to a wounded place on this earth, we went to a clear-cut area in Essex VT where a new industrial park will be constructed. The sun was strong in mid-morning when we set off for the site. As we silently walked the parameter I thought about the sandy soil beneath the giant pines, of the wind that kicked up the dust and of the deer that have bounded through the open space that was once forest. We built a bird with the beautiful golden yarn and looked out at the space together. On our way back home we noticed the trees. Theo spoke of the different pines that could survive in the sandy soil and pointed them out. I felt my feet land in this place for the first time even though I have physically been here for a year. I am always amazed at how seeing a place or person fully can ever so tenderly make space in your heart for a new experience.