Last week these6acres received some desperately needed rain - a good soaking to partially alleviate the drought we are experiencing in much of Western Washington.
For days I’ve been wanting to share these photos from a walk I took the next morning, meandering gratefully along the edge of forest and field. And for days that impulse to share the images has been growing. It wasn’t until this morning that I really understood why.
I want to share these images as a blessing for our drought-stricken lands across the world, and the communities and ecosystems suffering from the man-made violence of extreme heat.
It's barely in the news, but much of Southwest Asia, Europe, and Central Africa are enduring life-threatening temperatures and water shortages. Each year it is more intense. Life on Earth is in distress.
And yet, when allowed to thrive, and even to revitalize, the Earth seeks and nurtures vibrancy, wellness, beauty. Walking among the grasses and shrubs, beaded with the liquid that sustains all life, it is impossible to deny that life wants to live – and live together. In balance.
The balance of light and shade, of sun and rain, of how grazing deer not only consume plants but feed them too. I hope these images convey that ancient artistry of life on Earth. For me, I am reminded of the beauty and abundance of the living Earth, and how it provides all that we truly need.
While society scrambles to secure resources to power 1200-acre computers meant to rival a single human brain, and design space missions that require more resources than it takes to comfortably sustain entire nations, Earth naturally nurtures an entire planet of “kingdoms and families” and unmeasurable abundance.
And it is all right here, in front of our eyes, above and below us, within our bodies too. Abundance. Ingenuity. Community. Life.
Oh how I long for the day we stop fighting over commodities we don't really need and begin nurturing and sharing the abundance that is already here. I’m grateful for these grasses, blossoms, honeybees, and little drops of rain.
And really, to be happy, do I need much more than this?
-Zach