In early Fall, we held an evening of conversation and sharing stories, centered around the topic of ‘befriending nature’. There was an opening discussion, followed by a café-style conversation to encourage each of us to recall our own moments, reflect upon the details of our encounters and explore any patterns or themes that seemed to be present in our stories.
The focus on our relationship to place, to the natural world was intended to remind us of our partnership with all our community surroundings – the plants, animals, birds and insects and others that are also our neighbours.
Something lovely seemed to happen over the course of the evening. We started off with a subtle appreciation, that deepened into recognizing the reverence, revelation, awe and wonder that seemed to be a part of each story. We left carrying both a greater awareness of our wild neighbours and the relationships we have with them, and, a few other seeds to take away with us, such as: a possibility that the way we notice, appreciate and interact with these beings and places might matter; a deeper intent to adopt an attitude of friendliness to all of our neighbours; and, an imagining of what could be, if we move towards living in greater alignment with our nature and surroundings.
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