Yes!!!! I absolutely love the framework you gave this and it was timely for me, as I too have been thinking of late about how our culture lauds "success" without acknowledging the countless quiet heroes in our midst who do just as much to make that "success" possible but are often never seen or sung.
Thank you as well for celebrating the baobab's beautiful rough texture, and the symbolism of how much the bark looks like the elephants she sustains.
Grateful for this meaningful comment, it fuels me to have these conversations. It is WHY I write, in fact. <3
Thank you always, my first reader! Your mornings are similar, I happen to know, and I'm infinitely grateful for the myriad ways you care for all of creation.🐦💛🌳
Beautifully put, Mary, and you're so right that it is a practice. And a beautiful one at that. Especially since we're deeply conditioned otherwise. Thank you for being here, and for appreciating the joys of slowness.
Lovely! the urge towards tenderness in your husband is very moving. I wonder whether this IS "the sound of the genuine" as Howard Thurman says. And that this tenderness, the sweet center that knows life and the exquisite nature of aliveness, belonging, and interconnection becomes disrupted, coopted, and sidetracked by modern culture. The noticing of the definitions of "slow" and "fast" carry judgment even by the 'trusted' dictionary, is remarkable. One must keep the eyes open to see these shades of culture and how they affect our roots.
Finding what is true, ah yes. As you do, looking to the language of the trees, and wild places will most certainly lead you there. Slow, listen, come into the embrace of the natural world to which we all belong. Know that we all matter. This is what I am sensing in your post and will carry with me today. Thank you!
Oh Susan, this comment was deeply meaningful. Thank you! And I just adore how you put it here: "[T]hat this tenderness, the sweet center that knows life and the exquisite nature of aliveness, belonging, and interconnection becomes disrupted, coopted, and sidetracked by modern culture." YES!
I'm still stunned that the dictionary holds our biases in such an obvious but unseen way, thank you for understanding the significance of this! May the lyrical "language of trees" (ahhh!) find you today in the healing beauty of slowness. <3
Thank you Vivienne, for your comment and for your spacious understanding. You embody the "school of spirit" and the S.O.S. our turbulent times are in need of. Truly grateful to have you here! 💜💫💜
What a delightful read on Sunday morning! I adore that picture of Matt with the duckling. You and he were both tuned in at a very young age to be gentle and aware that true strength comes from protecting the vulnerable. Thank you for being one of those souls who has eyes to see the beauty in this world!
Thank you always for your presence, precious Auntie, and for living each and every day as you do with the knowledge and wisdom that "true strength is protecting the vulnerable." Your kindness has boundless ripple effects, and I'm so lucky to be one of the many beneficiaries. Love you so!
And thank you for being here, Jeanne, both as a reader and writer. You wholly embody the "Rx of Nature" in all that you do and I'm appreciative and grateful.
Oh, I love how you weave the baobab, the cheetah and Thurman’s wisdom into a call to listen deeply and honour our true names. Thank you so much Stephanie, for offering your luminous reflections ... they feel like a blessing of belonging and oneness. Solstice blessings to you and your family. 🙏💖🕯️
Winter Solstice blessings to you and yours as well Deborah! It's my favorite day of the year with its powerful symbolism. 🙏💖🕯️And thank you for your lovely rabbit ears which listen so deeply to the truth of all of our "belonging and oneness." Always grateful for you!!
My husbands comments on the dictionary definitions of slow/fast. "So a slow river is a "lazy" river? And a fast river is productive and exceeds expectations?" I thought that was apt given the floods.
One practical and fun way to practice slowness and authenticity is cooking beans in a clay pot, versus say....an instant pot. You have to soak the pot itself, soak the beans overnight, and then the pot can't be heated beyond 300 degrees. It takes a long time! Of course it's worth it. Cooking in earthenware gives an earthy flavor. And the skins of the beans are more tender.
Isaac put it PERFECTLY, Alissa. And you are so right that this truth feels all the more apt and resonant given the recent floods and fast-moving water across our state. Wow...
Thank you for sharing such a tangible example of the savory practice of slowness with your long-cooked beans in a beautiful clay pot. Your description is like poetry to me, and I could almost smell the earthy goodness from here in my own home. Love you so! <3
This reminder of how important it is to slow down and listen comes at the perfect time for me, Stephanie, both because winter in the Northern Hemisphere is my reflective season, and because I am becoming accustomed to being in what traditional Hindu belief calls the "forest-dweller" season of life, when we step back from achieving and reflect on what we've learned and how to share it (or even, if we wish to share it). As Mary Booker says below, I am working on slow as a practice. (Even though I'm not retired--as a freelance scientist and writer, I will be working until I die. Just with less rush and more deliberation!) Blessings to you.
Wow, Susan, your words stopped me in my tracks! The traditional Hindu belief/description of the "forest-dweller" season of life is powerful, and I'd never heard of it before. It rings so true!!! Incredible and instructive. Powerfully so, and I'll be thinking about this for many days to come. Blessings to you in return, thank you for the many ways you "cultivate terraphilia" and help us all to slow down. <3
Stephanie, The way the traditional Hindu beliefs describe the "seasons" of life really rings true for me, too. The first season is childhood, which is self-explanatory with an emphasis on learning how to be a human, exploring and joy. The second is the "householder" phase of focusing on family and work and achievement. And the third is the forest-dweller season, which is both a relief and a challenge for me at this point. A relief because I am very ready to slow down and be more reflective, to harvest and make use of what I've learned in my life. And a challenge because I didn't choose a career that provided me with a retirement income, so I have to figure out life on the financial plane. But I have lots of wisdom to share!
Wow, such similar concepts to the maiden, mother, and crone. And, yes, we live in a time that makes forest-dwelling harder for so many who reach that lovely stage...not only financially because of broken systems on every level but also because our forests are literally coming down. Realizing this brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for these illuminating insights, Susan. You do have wisdom to share and I'm loving it!
Thank you, Stephanie. One of the great things about Substack is the community of writers and readers, unlike anything else I have found in all my years of writing. It's a gift!
So much truth, beauty, and poetry in each of of your essays. I took notes as I was reading this one, thinking of painting titles along the way. "Aerial Collage - White Wings Over Waterways" - I can visualize what I want to create! Sincerely LOVE, love, love your writing (and of course, you and that dear husband too).
Oh Lizzie, how I adore you! Having you here as a reader means THE WORLD to me, may you always know. And I'm your #1 art fan, so what an honor to have you take notes here and start to visualize how these words might take shape in different gorgeous mediums inside your colorful Earth-inspired studio. You are so loved by us!!!!!!
Oh the invisible, Prajna. YES! We're not taught to see or even seek it, and yet it sustains and directs so much as you know. Thank you for always living this important truth as you do, so grateful for you and the light you shine. <3
I'm so happy to hear this Susan. This is why I write, to connect with readers like you, and to explore wisdom perspectives that help us all stay afloat in tricky times. Thank you for commenting and for being here! < 3
Your husband’s connection with the natural world comes from a deep empathy and understanding. How beautiful that you have him as your partner. And though I have looked at the definitions of slow and fast in the dictionary, I’m going to now. Even dictionaries are biased.
Loved reading your post Stephanie. So much magic and truth in it. Here’s to authenticity.
This was such a lovely comment, Alegria. Grateful! Isn't it just crazy that even dictionaries are biased?? No wonder we struggle. How could we not? Here's to authenticity indeed and thank you for the many ways you embody it in your own work. <3
It is strange to me that some of the world's most gorgeous walking trails - and mountains - attract people intent on setting new speed records. Fastest traverse of Tasmania's Overland Track. Fastest ascent of Chomolungma/Sagarmatha.
If you are there to appreciate a place, and to learn from it - slower is better, slowest is best. (Admittedly, as a sometime climber myself, a degree of speed on high mountains is necessary for safety).
We do need to learn - or I should say, we need to re-learn, from nature, including the deep knowledge still held by First Nation peoples.
What a profound insight Dave! You are so right that a love of moving at ALL speeds requires a re-learning for many, yet something First Nation peoples still do possess. So appreciate your reverence for the entire web of life. It shines a special light for your readers, thank you for being here.
Thank you my friend, and thank you again for your wise words in this Post - and others.
As an aside - I have never been to Africa, but in the far North Kimberley region of Western Australia we have an extremely close relative - the Boab tree. (The name given by Europeans - derived from Baobab. It has of course several Aboriginal First Nation names). I lived nearby there for some years, so I know them well.
The Australian Boab is an enigma. Genetically and visually - it is almost (but not quite) the same as the African Baobab, but they are separated by the wide Indian Ocean. There are several theories as to how this happened - Baobab nuts floating East. Boab nuts floating West. Some researchers are certain the nuts were carried by people - 70,000+ years ago....
As in Africa, the Boab is a refuge and a resource for many species, including humans.
Sometimes described as an otherworldly sight, but of course that is only to acknowledge the astonishing diversity and richness of this one remarkable world we do inhabit....
I had NO IDEA! This is absolutely incredible, thank you for telling me about the Boab and her mysterious origins and connection to Africa. What a beautiful thing to ponder through the lens of deep time, which always calms me down. You are so right that it is ALL "otherworldly" if we only have the eyes to see. Which you do, Dave. :)
This morning I sensed/felt the stirrings to receive that 'new name' and a few hours later I read your exceptional essay/post. Thank you Stephanie for sharing the tenderness of lightness from which you express. xx
Yes!!!! I absolutely love the framework you gave this and it was timely for me, as I too have been thinking of late about how our culture lauds "success" without acknowledging the countless quiet heroes in our midst who do just as much to make that "success" possible but are often never seen or sung.
Thank you as well for celebrating the baobab's beautiful rough texture, and the symbolism of how much the bark looks like the elephants she sustains.
Grateful for this meaningful comment, it fuels me to have these conversations. It is WHY I write, in fact. <3
Absolutely beautiful. Wow. Thank you for this and for a peek into your mornings!
Thank you always, my first reader! Your mornings are similar, I happen to know, and I'm infinitely grateful for the myriad ways you care for all of creation.🐦💛🌳
❤️❤️❤️❤️
One of the great results of my retirement has been the permission to be slow - which I now consider a practice.
Beautifully put, Mary, and you're so right that it is a practice. And a beautiful one at that. Especially since we're deeply conditioned otherwise. Thank you for being here, and for appreciating the joys of slowness.
Lovely! the urge towards tenderness in your husband is very moving. I wonder whether this IS "the sound of the genuine" as Howard Thurman says. And that this tenderness, the sweet center that knows life and the exquisite nature of aliveness, belonging, and interconnection becomes disrupted, coopted, and sidetracked by modern culture. The noticing of the definitions of "slow" and "fast" carry judgment even by the 'trusted' dictionary, is remarkable. One must keep the eyes open to see these shades of culture and how they affect our roots.
Finding what is true, ah yes. As you do, looking to the language of the trees, and wild places will most certainly lead you there. Slow, listen, come into the embrace of the natural world to which we all belong. Know that we all matter. This is what I am sensing in your post and will carry with me today. Thank you!
Oh Susan, this comment was deeply meaningful. Thank you! And I just adore how you put it here: "[T]hat this tenderness, the sweet center that knows life and the exquisite nature of aliveness, belonging, and interconnection becomes disrupted, coopted, and sidetracked by modern culture." YES!
I'm still stunned that the dictionary holds our biases in such an obvious but unseen way, thank you for understanding the significance of this! May the lyrical "language of trees" (ahhh!) find you today in the healing beauty of slowness. <3
Thank you! I will go in search of that today. I hope that for you also.
This is so beautiful and filled with grace. I felt the Soul speak through you 💜💫💜
Thank you Vivienne, for your comment and for your spacious understanding. You embody the "school of spirit" and the S.O.S. our turbulent times are in need of. Truly grateful to have you here! 💜💫💜
Bless you Stephanie. Your response means the world to me.
What a delightful read on Sunday morning! I adore that picture of Matt with the duckling. You and he were both tuned in at a very young age to be gentle and aware that true strength comes from protecting the vulnerable. Thank you for being one of those souls who has eyes to see the beauty in this world!
Thank you always for your presence, precious Auntie, and for living each and every day as you do with the knowledge and wisdom that "true strength is protecting the vulnerable." Your kindness has boundless ripple effects, and I'm so lucky to be one of the many beneficiaries. Love you so!
So, so nice, Stephanie. Thank you for a beautiful read.
And thank you for being here, Jeanne, both as a reader and writer. You wholly embody the "Rx of Nature" in all that you do and I'm appreciative and grateful.
🙏🏽
Oh, I love how you weave the baobab, the cheetah and Thurman’s wisdom into a call to listen deeply and honour our true names. Thank you so much Stephanie, for offering your luminous reflections ... they feel like a blessing of belonging and oneness. Solstice blessings to you and your family. 🙏💖🕯️
Winter Solstice blessings to you and yours as well Deborah! It's my favorite day of the year with its powerful symbolism. 🙏💖🕯️And thank you for your lovely rabbit ears which listen so deeply to the truth of all of our "belonging and oneness." Always grateful for you!!
Thank you so much for remembering, Stephanie. Love and light. 🐇🙏💖
🐇🙏💖
My husbands comments on the dictionary definitions of slow/fast. "So a slow river is a "lazy" river? And a fast river is productive and exceeds expectations?" I thought that was apt given the floods.
One practical and fun way to practice slowness and authenticity is cooking beans in a clay pot, versus say....an instant pot. You have to soak the pot itself, soak the beans overnight, and then the pot can't be heated beyond 300 degrees. It takes a long time! Of course it's worth it. Cooking in earthenware gives an earthy flavor. And the skins of the beans are more tender.
Isaac put it PERFECTLY, Alissa. And you are so right that this truth feels all the more apt and resonant given the recent floods and fast-moving water across our state. Wow...
Thank you for sharing such a tangible example of the savory practice of slowness with your long-cooked beans in a beautiful clay pot. Your description is like poetry to me, and I could almost smell the earthy goodness from here in my own home. Love you so! <3
This reminder of how important it is to slow down and listen comes at the perfect time for me, Stephanie, both because winter in the Northern Hemisphere is my reflective season, and because I am becoming accustomed to being in what traditional Hindu belief calls the "forest-dweller" season of life, when we step back from achieving and reflect on what we've learned and how to share it (or even, if we wish to share it). As Mary Booker says below, I am working on slow as a practice. (Even though I'm not retired--as a freelance scientist and writer, I will be working until I die. Just with less rush and more deliberation!) Blessings to you.
Wow, Susan, your words stopped me in my tracks! The traditional Hindu belief/description of the "forest-dweller" season of life is powerful, and I'd never heard of it before. It rings so true!!! Incredible and instructive. Powerfully so, and I'll be thinking about this for many days to come. Blessings to you in return, thank you for the many ways you "cultivate terraphilia" and help us all to slow down. <3
Stephanie, The way the traditional Hindu beliefs describe the "seasons" of life really rings true for me, too. The first season is childhood, which is self-explanatory with an emphasis on learning how to be a human, exploring and joy. The second is the "householder" phase of focusing on family and work and achievement. And the third is the forest-dweller season, which is both a relief and a challenge for me at this point. A relief because I am very ready to slow down and be more reflective, to harvest and make use of what I've learned in my life. And a challenge because I didn't choose a career that provided me with a retirement income, so I have to figure out life on the financial plane. But I have lots of wisdom to share!
Wow, such similar concepts to the maiden, mother, and crone. And, yes, we live in a time that makes forest-dwelling harder for so many who reach that lovely stage...not only financially because of broken systems on every level but also because our forests are literally coming down. Realizing this brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for these illuminating insights, Susan. You do have wisdom to share and I'm loving it!
Thank you, Stephanie. One of the great things about Substack is the community of writers and readers, unlike anything else I have found in all my years of writing. It's a gift!
Isn't it???? It's like the best "writing workshop" ever. <3
Without the cutthroat competition.... :) <3
So much truth, beauty, and poetry in each of of your essays. I took notes as I was reading this one, thinking of painting titles along the way. "Aerial Collage - White Wings Over Waterways" - I can visualize what I want to create! Sincerely LOVE, love, love your writing (and of course, you and that dear husband too).
Oh Lizzie, how I adore you! Having you here as a reader means THE WORLD to me, may you always know. And I'm your #1 art fan, so what an honor to have you take notes here and start to visualize how these words might take shape in different gorgeous mediums inside your colorful Earth-inspired studio. You are so loved by us!!!!!!
Beautiful post, quotes and photos that not only support the living physical world, but the invisible as well. Thank you so much. Stephanie!
Oh the invisible, Prajna. YES! We're not taught to see or even seek it, and yet it sustains and directs so much as you know. Thank you for always living this important truth as you do, so grateful for you and the light you shine. <3
Lovely and uplifting. A message I needed to hear. Thank you.
I'm so happy to hear this Susan. This is why I write, to connect with readers like you, and to explore wisdom perspectives that help us all stay afloat in tricky times. Thank you for commenting and for being here! < 3
Your husband’s connection with the natural world comes from a deep empathy and understanding. How beautiful that you have him as your partner. And though I have looked at the definitions of slow and fast in the dictionary, I’m going to now. Even dictionaries are biased.
Loved reading your post Stephanie. So much magic and truth in it. Here’s to authenticity.
This was such a lovely comment, Alegria. Grateful! Isn't it just crazy that even dictionaries are biased?? No wonder we struggle. How could we not? Here's to authenticity indeed and thank you for the many ways you embody it in your own work. <3
Thank you Stephanie. Appreciate you saying that.
Very beautiful, Stephanie.
It is strange to me that some of the world's most gorgeous walking trails - and mountains - attract people intent on setting new speed records. Fastest traverse of Tasmania's Overland Track. Fastest ascent of Chomolungma/Sagarmatha.
If you are there to appreciate a place, and to learn from it - slower is better, slowest is best. (Admittedly, as a sometime climber myself, a degree of speed on high mountains is necessary for safety).
We do need to learn - or I should say, we need to re-learn, from nature, including the deep knowledge still held by First Nation peoples.
Best Wishes - Dave
What a profound insight Dave! You are so right that a love of moving at ALL speeds requires a re-learning for many, yet something First Nation peoples still do possess. So appreciate your reverence for the entire web of life. It shines a special light for your readers, thank you for being here.
Thank you my friend, and thank you again for your wise words in this Post - and others.
As an aside - I have never been to Africa, but in the far North Kimberley region of Western Australia we have an extremely close relative - the Boab tree. (The name given by Europeans - derived from Baobab. It has of course several Aboriginal First Nation names). I lived nearby there for some years, so I know them well.
The Australian Boab is an enigma. Genetically and visually - it is almost (but not quite) the same as the African Baobab, but they are separated by the wide Indian Ocean. There are several theories as to how this happened - Baobab nuts floating East. Boab nuts floating West. Some researchers are certain the nuts were carried by people - 70,000+ years ago....
As in Africa, the Boab is a refuge and a resource for many species, including humans.
Sometimes described as an otherworldly sight, but of course that is only to acknowledge the astonishing diversity and richness of this one remarkable world we do inhabit....
Best Wishes - Dave :)
I had NO IDEA! This is absolutely incredible, thank you for telling me about the Boab and her mysterious origins and connection to Africa. What a beautiful thing to ponder through the lens of deep time, which always calms me down. You are so right that it is ALL "otherworldly" if we only have the eyes to see. Which you do, Dave. :)
This morning I sensed/felt the stirrings to receive that 'new name' and a few hours later I read your exceptional essay/post. Thank you Stephanie for sharing the tenderness of lightness from which you express. xx
Means so much Leanda. All things are connected, love it when it is so evident! <3
Indeed! 👌🏼🌈🎶☀️💝