Good Morning, WalkStars.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how our #ThisMorningWalk practice could be a tool for conservation after reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book has had a very profound impact on my life and my MorningWalk practice.
Every day, I walk. Every day, I am in an ecosystem. Each walk, I am healed/nourished/inspired by that place. Lately, I have been feeling a need to do the same for that place. To be more curious about it, heal it, nourish it, care for it. We are in a profound relationship.
“Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
By continuing to learn about my surroundings, I am developing a more compassionate holistic understanding of where I walk: an environment that deserves my respect, understanding, and love. As I walk, I am paying more attention to all the trees, all the birds, all the insects, the entirety of the ecosystem.
“The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Rather than using only science writings to learn about trees (and other living beings), I/we need to remember the fact that there is so much we can learn FROM trees themselves. I need to listen to them, stand still, and pay attention to the lessons. I think I often simply walk through their house and don’t stop to say hello or stop and listen. Now don’t get me wrong, I may not literally be stopping at each grove or redwood cathedral, but I will pay more attention.
Lesson One: find a way to work together. If trees can find ways to work collectively without moving or talking, us humans have no excuse.
The course of actions needed to heal the Earth and combat climate change will not happen on behalf of individuals; it requires the work of strong communities moving towards a shared goal. Kimmerer says it is our collective responsibility, and I agree. The Earth has given so much. It’s our turn to give back.
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Libby DeLana is an award-winning executive creative director, designer/art director by trade, who has spent her career in the ad world. Click here to get your copy of Libby’s first published book, Do Walk. You can connect with Libby on Instagram @thismorningwalk and @parkhere.