November 6, 2022

One idea to keep it slow and simple … Discover your hidden neighborhood

This Simply Sunday is dedicated to the plants that grow in each of our corners of the world.

“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.”

After listening to a charming interview between Robin Wall Kimmerer (quoted above) and the Icelandic musician Björk, we’ve been revisiting Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer’s book about the relationship between humans and the natural world. (We link the interview in the links section below.)

In that book and in the interview, Kimmerer reminds us that the more we get to know our land, the more we want to protect it. And there’s always more to know, starting in your own neighborhood.

On your next trip around the block or local walkabout, pay attention to the bounty that nature is tossing all around.

Some you will recognize—the litter of fallen oak leaves or an overripe apple still clinging to a branch. Some nature you will see as if for the first time. And that’s the magic. Take your discovery home and get to know it. Learn all you can. Share this knowledge with your friends and family so they, too, may pay closer attention.

And some extras to click

We love to discover and share, so we’ve added three cool clickables. And just so you know, when we list products, it’s just because we like them. We’re not sponsored by anything but our dreams and imaginations.

• This conversation between Björk and Robin Wall Kimmerer is well worth an hour. They discuss “subjects ranging from how language connects us to the natural world; the consequences—both personal and global—of living apart from nature; and what it means in our transient society to live in the right relationship to the land.”

• According to this article, some mushrooms can decompose plastic, helping to rid the world of trash…by eating it! Read all about it.

• When you know your neighborhood, you may be more inclined to protect it. Take this quiz to see if you can draw the boundaries of your neighborhood. (And don’t forget to vote on Tuesday!)