Mary Schaub (00:39)
Greetings, Shobakai. Today is a follow-up to last week's episode, The Well-Gardened Self, where we explored the power of nature to support personal, organizational, and societal transformation. At the end of the episode, I invited you to share your stories about how nature has helped you. And boy, did you show up. First of all, thank you to everyone who responded. I'm so, so appreciative.
I've received stories from people navigating grief, burnout, and chronic illness. And in all of them, nature played a quiet but powerful role. Okay, first up.
Ava in Oakland, California. She writes, after losing my mom last fall, I started walking in the forest every morning. I don't know why. At first, it just helped me breathe. But over time, I started noticing tiny things, like how the trees changed or looked different at different times of day. It felt like the forest held my grief in a way people couldn't. Wow, Ava, thank you for your honesty.
I mean, that line, the forest held my grief in a way that people couldn't, is just so powerful. know, nature doesn't ask us to be okay. It simply holds space. And that kind of silent companionship can be deeply healing. It's also interesting how you mentioned how other people couldn't hold your grief the way you needed them to. One of the things I've come to realize over time is a lot of what we're seeking externally
can be found in ourselves. I think the forest held your grief for you until you were able to hold it by yourself.
Next up, Marion from Toronto. writes, I started growing herbs on my fire escape in 2022, just basil and mint. Watching them sprout from nothing, especially when I was unemployed and felt like I was starting over, gave me a weird sense of dignity. Wow, thank you, Marion. know, nature doesn't care about your resume. It cares about rhythm, effort, and patience. Growth, even in a tiny pot, can be very affirming.
I love a good mint plant too. You gotta keep them in a pot, otherwise they'll just spread all over the place. But anyway, what you're doing with the mint and the basil, it's what we as humans have been doing for what, 350,000 generations. Harvesting and hunting used to be our primary jobs. We've evolved into a much more complex state, all self-created. And now we end up valuing ourselves by
our job, our title, or how many followers or likes we get. It feels appealing to imagine a time when growing basil and mint was enough. And you know what? It is. mean, right now, Marion, it's enough. You're enough. Thank you for your note. Across so many of your messages, I noticed four recurring themes. The first is nature creates ritual, whether it's a walk or watering plants or...
just watching the sky shift, routine contact with nature grounds us. Second, nature reflects change, seasons, weather, decay. They all normalize the idea that change isn't failure, it's natural. And third, nature reminds us we belong. When we engage with other living things, we remember we're not alone. And finally,
Nature activates care. Several of you shared how caring for something, plants, birds, whatever, reawakened your desire to care for yourselves. Let's go deeper with a few more stories. Next, Jasmine in St. Louis writes, I live in a dense part of the city and the only place I see green is a community garden I joined last year. At first, I just wanted fresh tomatoes.
Unfortunately, last year I messed up somehow and nothing grew. But I ended up meeting an older man, a widow, who told me what I was doing wrong. He's been teaching me how to prune. He's also introduced me to some of the other long timers, including a woman who brings tea to share. It's become a really special part of my life. Jasmine, that's beautiful. That's community. That's transformation. It's subtle, but it matters.
Nature gives us more than vegetables. It gives us each other.
By the way, I need to learn how to prune too. I think there's some really good YouTube videos out there on that. That's where I went wrong with my tomatoes the first couple of seasons too. Good luck with that garden. Next up, Leo from Portland. Leo writes, my teenage son and I were in a rough place. We started doing weekend hikes, mostly because my wife insisted we try something. I didn't expect much, but those silent tracks turned into conversations.
I'm not saying we're best friends, but the animosity is somehow gone. I love this. Nature seems to lower our defenses sometimes, kind of softens the edges. You sometimes it's not about saying the right thing. It's just about being together, you know, walking side by side long enough for the love to surface again. By the way, I'm a huge animal lover, as you probably could tell if you've heard my podcast before.
And I do count animals in that nature bucket. And I think there's a reason why we love our pets so much and why many of them can be trained as companions and emotional support therapy animals. Maybe pine trees and bees can't cuddle next to us when we feel down, but I believe their power provides emotional support in another way.
You know, in preparing for this episode, I kept returning to this thought. We are not separate from nature. We are part of it. But so often, and maybe most of the time, we live like we're above it or beyond it. You are not a machine. You are an ecosystem. And ecosystems thrive when nurtured. This is why nature is such a powerful teacher in transformation work.
not because it changes us from the outside, but because it reminds us who we really are and helps us to make the most important shifts inside. Whether it's a basil plant or a quiet walk in the woods, nature is always inviting us to return. Okay, update on my baby groundhog, Chubby Sauron. So unfortunately, he is trying to burrow under the foundation of my house.
So I am now working with a humane trapper to relocate him to a nature reserve. We can both coexist, but maybe not on the same property. Okay, everyone, thanks so much for being here. I really do appreciate it. And if today's episode moved you, please share it with someone who needs it. And if you didn't get to send your story in, there's still time. DM me on Instagram, email me, or leave me a voice message.
I'd love to read more of your reflections in a future show. Contact details are in the show notes. Until next time, remember you are the change you in the world are waiting for.
