Changing Seasons, Seismic Shifts

Feeling deeply rooted and connected to the land can be challenging for many people, especially in urban and suburban environments. Yet even in these places, nature abounds and thrives in every season, reminding us of our primordial connection to a dynamic, interdependent world imbued with magic, mystery and miracles.

During the first half of March, Montanans endured long stretches of gloomy days, a roaring overnight windstorm, torrential downpours, then several inches of heavy wet snow.

Brooding silvery dark clouds persisted. Impenetrable early morning fog rolled in most mornings as the snow cover slowly shrank, melted and retreated. On one especially foul weekday afternoon, heavy wet snow returned, splattering like rain upon impact, chilling me to the bone as I walked around the University of Montana campus.

As I walked toward the back of the Mansfield Library, I was startled by over one hundred robins convening in still bare trees, plucking worms from the green grass, proclaiming their territories, and competing for mates. A few dozen northern flickers were doing the same, while several mountain chickadees called back and forth. With the university on spring break, nature’s sounds dominated the built environment.

Something shifted deeply within watching nature awaken to the new season’s cycles and rhythms. The world felt reanimated and at peace with itself after an oddly long, snowless barren winter. I continued home with a palpable spring in my step, and a renewed sense of humility, resilience, and optimism.

Even in the most damaged environments, nature and life always find a way forward. Worldwide, political, economic and financial systems are fractured and imperiled, as is earth in so many places. These late stage warning signs are urging us to seismically shift beyond fear, anger, greed and division to more just, inclusive and harmonious systems that benefit everyone.

Undoubtedly this is a challenging time to be alive. Most days, it’s hard to remain centered and detached, while envisioning the best possible outcomes for all earth inhabitants. It’s way too easy to get thrown off balance, get distracted, lose hope, and start doom scrolling.

That makes it even more crucial to replenish ourselves in nature, to notice, sense and deeply feel what remains beautiful, harmonious, energizing and inspiring in the world around us.

Witnessing the jungle of bird activity on a late winter afternoon inspired me to redouble my efforts and actions toward co-creating a healed, more peaceful world, wherever my feet are.

It shook me free from feeling powerless, to instead take action to save what I love, and transcend the destruction, greed, and toxic mythologies which have brought us to this moment.

“Our task,” said Albert Einstein, “must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”