A Pathway for Connection

It’s time for our midweek turnaround. a brief, gentle turning practice to orient you to what matters. It includes a prompt for a meditative activity for disentangling from the default American mindset and connecting more closely with yourself and your surroundings. You may find it helpful to have a journal at hand, but it’s not required. I hope these practices of body and heart bring you peace and connection in the middle of whatever storm is blowing around you at the moment. Today’s newsletter is part of my series about connecting with and learning from plants.

This is the last post in my series about connecting with plants, at least for now. Not to worry. I talk with plants a lot, so I’m sure we’ll revisit them again in the future. In the meantime, let’s look back at our time with plants over the last few months. I hope you have found a shift inside you. Maybe you have allowed them space to change your heart and mind as you swap air with them all day every day. 

Let’s think back to the last few week’s activities and remember where we were, see if there is a shift from before to after. It may be subtle–it probably is. These gentle turns are subtle but powerful, like planting a seed that grows into a plant that can move rocks and break concrete.

We learned that plants have intelligence. They can sense the world around them in their own way. They can remember and plan.

We imagined our activities from a plant’s perspective.

We spent some time breathing through our skin the way plants do.

We told our friends stories about plants.

We connected with plants in our ancestral past.

We pondered the implications and responsibilities of consuming life when we eat a salad.

We touched grass.

Take a breath. Okay, now take inventory of your experiences and memories that arise as you read through the list. What resonates? And I ask that in a quite literal sense. Can you feel any of this in your belly or your bones as you remember? Is there a part of you that feels like it’s humming along to a tune from outside of you? For me, it’s the same physical sensation I get when I get a hug from someone I love or when I watch a puppy playing. It’s like the blossoming of something warm in my chest. Do you feel it? Close your eyes and let that feeling wash over the rest of your body. Remember it, hang onto it with your heart.

That feeling is love. Plant love—yours for the plant and the plant’s for you. Do you want to feel it again? Do you remember what activity or thought prompted it? Write it down, either in your journal or somewhere you will see it regularly. It doesn’t have to be specific. It doesn’t even have to make sense. It could be something as simple as a plant name, “fern” or “corn”. Maybe it’s a sensation or a color. Keep it short, like a secret message to your future self that only you will understand.

You have unlocked a heart connection with the world around you. You’ve made a pathway for it. You can experience it again. Just come back to your path—read or remember your own words—when you want to feel it again. 

Imagine how you would feel if you tapped into that life-giving heart connection every day for a week or a month. Does that sound nice? Consider reminding yourself to do it. You could set a reminder in an app or calendar, but I encourage you to find a way that is more organic to your day. Maybe set an intention to connect your heart to plants while you’re drinking your coffee or doing dishes or when you walk outside to get in your car.

Thanks for joining me on this journey. Next Wednesday we have a big day—a full moon essay and a gentle turning post the same day! I’ll be back in your inbox with some thoughts about birds from the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival!

Are you enjoying what you're reading? Please share with your friends! And remember: this is a reader supported publication. All content is free, but a paid subscription helps keep the lights on. Consider supporting content you love!

(Please note that I am not a non-profit organization. These gifts are not tax-deductible.)