This whole premise (reconnecting with ourselves) can be achieved in our inner lives by writing a memoir - or at least beginning to write about where we've been and who we've been in former decades. In this world that changes so much, so fast, constantly on the run forward, we are missing out on the continuity of ourselves and each other through time. Reading and writing memoirs is the path forward toward a more holistic understanding of inhabiting a human self, society, and shared environment.
Thank you Jerry. That’s a very interesting idea and I do think it could help us connect more with ourselves. The key would be to connect with our true Self in the writing process, not the self that the world wanted us to be.
This year I'm looking deeply at the earth beneath my feet. I live in the high desert. The soil is challenged and 'dead'. I've been building soil with mulch. This year I'm putting in some compost and a small vege garden. Crossing my fingers I've done enough.
There's a great documentary about this! I think its called the Biggest Little Farm. They bought a property that had dry dead soil and completely restored it and made an organic farm that fed many people.
In previous decades, it was common for individuals and families to drop by unannounced, fostering a sense of community and immediacy in relationships.
However, in contemporary society, this spontaneity has diminished. The advent of digital calendars and scheduling tools has led to a culture where social engagements are often planned weeks in advance.
Haha..mwe used to live in the city and our adult children would just walk in whenever. We moved an hour away and need to make appointments with them to visit. I'm sad but don't want to return to the city. We are hoping to move closer and buy a property that a few of our kids can live in in their own homes. My dad and uncle worked the farm together when I was a kid and we saw my cousins and grandmother nearly every day.
It’s a very different lifestyle, city versus country. Either way, I think the struggle is the lack of spaciousness that allows for visits. I really hope you find a way that you’re able to connect with your children more often. As a society, we need much more of that.
My one son and daughter-in-law rent a house just outside of the city. They've had the family a few times. I personally feel that it's the generation. I fly by the seat of my pants and leave space for things. They book all their time. One daughter homeschools her kids and drives up here because we live close to the beach. So we see her lots.
You’ve captured something so real here, Linnea, it’s like a call to arms for the soul. The way you weave ancient wisdom with the urgency of now? It’s powerful. This isn’t just an article, it’s a movement. Thank you for reminding us what truly matters.
Thank you so much Andy, both for taking the time to read the essay and for understanding the depth of the message. Yes, it is my call to gather people to the movement that I believe is already happening. Ancient wisdom is available for us and is a way forward out of our global meta-crisis, but it does come with some choices that may be difficult, but ultimately will be rewarding.
Linnea, This is beautiful and spot on! So resonate with all my work and lived experience. The answers are all there--residing in the natural world, stewarded by ancient cultures, embedded in our DNA, but we need to reconnect to the planet and ourselves in order to hear them. 🩵
Thank you so much for taking time to read the essay and share your thoughts. This was a really meaningful one for me. We have gone a bit deaf to the planet and the wisdom of nature, but it still it there waiting for us to listen. Have you read Braiding Sweetgrass or The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer? Absolutely beautifully written prose with a powerful message. I believe we are beginning to wake up. 💜
You are quite welcome, Linnea. This was a pleasure to read and a relief to feel the resonance. If you've read any of my work, you'll see we're speaking similar language! And, yes, I have and love both books!! I long ago saw that science is but one lens on nature and the greater truth is she is the teacher. 🩵
Community building throughout the U.S. has been a calling and it is happening. This is a wonderful, resonate message and I look forward to sharing this essay on May 7th, in Wildlands. We are restoring-conserving, healing, creating, planting, and more in several communities and are growing, pun intended. We are the ones we've been waiting for--- thanks, Linnea. Great!
It’s truly a grassroots movement and exactly what is needed right now. Thank you Robin for the work that you’re doing and your commitment to healing both our hearts and the land.
True, Linnea, and I am very grateful for your support. Thankfully, the work is finding beautiful minds-bodies-spirits everywhere who want to be a part of a healthcare revolution. I posted today a call for support, along with the vision, sketched 25 years ago- a roadmap for life in any ecosystem, sustainable, strong and resilient and there are lots of photos. Wildlands welcomes you always, see you 5/7/25, and cheers to our connection. ; ) XX
I have a friend who is in the beginning stages of starting a cooperative community in Maine that will embody much of what you propose here. It's a beautiful concept: people living off the land, trading goods and services, helping raise each other's children...the way it used to be before industrialization, single family homes, the evolution of transportation and technology, etc. That's not a reality for me at this point in my life. But in my own way, I'm trying to do more of that in my day to day life by growing our own food, cutting out Amazon, using zero-waste products, spending lots of time outdoors, using screens much less than we used to. But man is it hard to find like-minded people! I feel incredibly fortunate that my husband and I have a shared vision, and that our sons are all about this kind of lifestyle. But it would be nice to find others who share in that vision for our collective future. I know they're out there!
That sounds absolutely beautiful Melissa and though I’m on the opposite side of the country, I’m thrilled to hear communities that are popping up and embracing this way of living. You’re right, it is hard to find like-minded people, but we certainly exist and it just takes a little while to make the connections. But I think it’s worth the search. 💜
This made me cry. I'm yearning for this in my life, and I'm forever searching for a community that always feels out of reach. I'm going to focus on further connecting with the land, the natural world, and hopefully that will bring the people into my life that I'm yearning so I don't always feel so alone in this.
Dear Jessy, I’m sorry you feel so isolated but perhaps connecting to the natural works will help you fund space. Lean in to the yearning and see where it takes you.
There is a book of poetry that I recommend to many of my clients and I have a feeling you may enjoy it also: You Were Never Broken by Jeff Foster
I was just having this discussion with my shaman friend today - we need to learn to get back to how we lived before the digital revolution. I find this difficult because I crave the connection and stimulation of online life but I also realize it's distracting us from the "real world". My mom and I love to re-home items we can no longer use and fortunately, people still appreciate used items here. I'm trying to reconnect with nature every day but as you indicated, the tech and lives we've built now seem to make that more difficult.
This whole premise (reconnecting with ourselves) can be achieved in our inner lives by writing a memoir - or at least beginning to write about where we've been and who we've been in former decades. In this world that changes so much, so fast, constantly on the run forward, we are missing out on the continuity of ourselves and each other through time. Reading and writing memoirs is the path forward toward a more holistic understanding of inhabiting a human self, society, and shared environment.
Thank you Jerry. That’s a very interesting idea and I do think it could help us connect more with ourselves. The key would be to connect with our true Self in the writing process, not the self that the world wanted us to be.
This year I'm looking deeply at the earth beneath my feet. I live in the high desert. The soil is challenged and 'dead'. I've been building soil with mulch. This year I'm putting in some compost and a small vege garden. Crossing my fingers I've done enough.
Every bit helps and we can all do our part. Thank you Chitra 🙏
There's a great documentary about this! I think its called the Biggest Little Farm. They bought a property that had dry dead soil and completely restored it and made an organic farm that fed many people.
That sounds fantastic! I think I’m going to look it up as it sounds like it’s right up my alley. Thank you, Rosemary.
https://youtu.be/UfDTM4JxHl8?si=bHpn8wel0bSQmSwD
Thank you!!! 💜
This was one of my favorite films, ever! 🩵
In previous decades, it was common for individuals and families to drop by unannounced, fostering a sense of community and immediacy in relationships.
However, in contemporary society, this spontaneity has diminished. The advent of digital calendars and scheduling tools has led to a culture where social engagements are often planned weeks in advance.
Haha..mwe used to live in the city and our adult children would just walk in whenever. We moved an hour away and need to make appointments with them to visit. I'm sad but don't want to return to the city. We are hoping to move closer and buy a property that a few of our kids can live in in their own homes. My dad and uncle worked the farm together when I was a kid and we saw my cousins and grandmother nearly every day.
It’s a very different lifestyle, city versus country. Either way, I think the struggle is the lack of spaciousness that allows for visits. I really hope you find a way that you’re able to connect with your children more often. As a society, we need much more of that.
My one son and daughter-in-law rent a house just outside of the city. They've had the family a few times. I personally feel that it's the generation. I fly by the seat of my pants and leave space for things. They book all their time. One daughter homeschools her kids and drives up here because we live close to the beach. So we see her lots.
It’s wonderful that you have prioritized the drive so that you can stay connected. In a world that is increasingly disconnected, that is everything.
Yes, that’s a great example of how we have lost the ability to connect in person. We lost the spaciousness that allowed for that. Thank you.
You’ve captured something so real here, Linnea, it’s like a call to arms for the soul. The way you weave ancient wisdom with the urgency of now? It’s powerful. This isn’t just an article, it’s a movement. Thank you for reminding us what truly matters.
Thank you so much Andy, both for taking the time to read the essay and for understanding the depth of the message. Yes, it is my call to gather people to the movement that I believe is already happening. Ancient wisdom is available for us and is a way forward out of our global meta-crisis, but it does come with some choices that may be difficult, but ultimately will be rewarding.
Thank you for being that voice Linnea. Ancient wisdom guiding us through this global meta-crisis feels so timely, and so necessary.
Linnea, This is beautiful and spot on! So resonate with all my work and lived experience. The answers are all there--residing in the natural world, stewarded by ancient cultures, embedded in our DNA, but we need to reconnect to the planet and ourselves in order to hear them. 🩵
Thank you so much for taking time to read the essay and share your thoughts. This was a really meaningful one for me. We have gone a bit deaf to the planet and the wisdom of nature, but it still it there waiting for us to listen. Have you read Braiding Sweetgrass or The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer? Absolutely beautifully written prose with a powerful message. I believe we are beginning to wake up. 💜
You are quite welcome, Linnea. This was a pleasure to read and a relief to feel the resonance. If you've read any of my work, you'll see we're speaking similar language! And, yes, I have and love both books!! I long ago saw that science is but one lens on nature and the greater truth is she is the teacher. 🩵
I have started reading your work and we absolutely do. It’s a pleasure to get to know you. 🙏
🩵
Community building throughout the U.S. has been a calling and it is happening. This is a wonderful, resonate message and I look forward to sharing this essay on May 7th, in Wildlands. We are restoring-conserving, healing, creating, planting, and more in several communities and are growing, pun intended. We are the ones we've been waiting for--- thanks, Linnea. Great!
It’s truly a grassroots movement and exactly what is needed right now. Thank you Robin for the work that you’re doing and your commitment to healing both our hearts and the land.
True, Linnea, and I am very grateful for your support. Thankfully, the work is finding beautiful minds-bodies-spirits everywhere who want to be a part of a healthcare revolution. I posted today a call for support, along with the vision, sketched 25 years ago- a roadmap for life in any ecosystem, sustainable, strong and resilient and there are lots of photos. Wildlands welcomes you always, see you 5/7/25, and cheers to our connection. ; ) XX
I have a friend who is in the beginning stages of starting a cooperative community in Maine that will embody much of what you propose here. It's a beautiful concept: people living off the land, trading goods and services, helping raise each other's children...the way it used to be before industrialization, single family homes, the evolution of transportation and technology, etc. That's not a reality for me at this point in my life. But in my own way, I'm trying to do more of that in my day to day life by growing our own food, cutting out Amazon, using zero-waste products, spending lots of time outdoors, using screens much less than we used to. But man is it hard to find like-minded people! I feel incredibly fortunate that my husband and I have a shared vision, and that our sons are all about this kind of lifestyle. But it would be nice to find others who share in that vision for our collective future. I know they're out there!
That sounds absolutely beautiful Melissa and though I’m on the opposite side of the country, I’m thrilled to hear communities that are popping up and embracing this way of living. You’re right, it is hard to find like-minded people, but we certainly exist and it just takes a little while to make the connections. But I think it’s worth the search. 💜
This made me cry. I'm yearning for this in my life, and I'm forever searching for a community that always feels out of reach. I'm going to focus on further connecting with the land, the natural world, and hopefully that will bring the people into my life that I'm yearning so I don't always feel so alone in this.
Dear Jessy, I’m sorry you feel so isolated but perhaps connecting to the natural works will help you fund space. Lean in to the yearning and see where it takes you.
There is a book of poetry that I recommend to many of my clients and I have a feeling you may enjoy it also: You Were Never Broken by Jeff Foster
Sending you care 💜
You are a damn good writer!
Thank you so much Ayodeji! I’m honored and glad that you enjoyed the piece.
I was just having this discussion with my shaman friend today - we need to learn to get back to how we lived before the digital revolution. I find this difficult because I crave the connection and stimulation of online life but I also realize it's distracting us from the "real world". My mom and I love to re-home items we can no longer use and fortunately, people still appreciate used items here. I'm trying to reconnect with nature every day but as you indicated, the tech and lives we've built now seem to make that more difficult.