Let nature stir the wildness that lurks just below the surface of our tired, jaded, wearisome existence, our concession, our surrender to the lackluster grind, to the “same sh*t different day” monotony that currently cracks the whip and holds us hostage.
Let violent skies and pelting rain whip our senses blind, let it all be frightening, and hairy helter-skelter, let it bring us to the brink, let it keep us from taking the sunshine, the birds, the insects, our mellow, carefree days for granted, let it remind us to be grateful for our very lives and all the lives of the living, let it push us to to keep giving, to give back again and again.
Let the warm, wet breeze rip through us like a spirit, let it cleanse and replenish our thoughts, our melancholy sadness, our heavy, settled weakness, let it heal what’s broken in us and render us reborn.
Let the very nature of mountains, and oceans, and deserts, and cities, and towns, and meadows, and trails, and rock formations, and trees, and those hopeful, budding spring gardens, pull us up by our bootstraps, let them bring us peace aplenty, a bountiful feast for our souls, let the tranquility, the beauty, all of it, fuel the innocent wonder we so desperately seek.
Let the noises, the melodies, the catchy singalong ditties of lively, bustling busy, of jumping, skipping, hustle, inspire us to listen, to wave to one another, to smile, let the racket outside push us to dance, to move together, instead of sitting alone quietly, resigned to our own reclusive loneliness, let the beeping and barking and banging and buzzing send us marching with purpose to its cadence, its steadfast beat.
Let the soil, the gritty, dirty life-giving nutrient, that rich black gold that holds our history, sift through our fingers, let it be massaged and patted and piled and cherished, let it grow what needs growing, let it house the very things that compel us, that motivate love, the things that make us swoon and marvel, let the breathing, beloved mound of mud that is our Earth work its blessed magic and grant us some relief.
Let nature stir us. Let its power, its happy, angry spontaneity, its leveling reality, revive, and soothe and wake us, let it bend and almost break us, let it help us remember we are indeed alive, we are present, we are lucky, we are so very small, but we are mighty, and we are connected in our resilience, our humanity, and our compassion, over and over again.