Steeped in support

Jul 24, 2022

Tired and proud.

That’s how I feel after the stormy cold front charged through last night. Already excited by new projects, I had a tough time laying my head, but then our hound dog woke up shaking and whining from the thunderstorm. Somehow without much coaxing he jumped back onto the bed and dug his way into the sleepy, blanketed nest.

Now the morning after, we sit together and wake up slowly, my dad and I text about how much rain really fell. Some reports differed by as much as 3”…He would make a wonderful, reliable weatherman and I am fortunate to receive his forecasts, always catered to wherever I am.

Hazy whilst entering my day, but its helpful knowing the sky gave off the same hue. With the rain steeping in the vegetated land, a relieving, supportive feeling overpowers any negative, isolating feelings of the self. The interconnectedness runs deep.

Tending to and growing plants heightens my perception of how intense the sizzling midsummer sun is and how desirable and delectable falling water is. Days have passed and weeks too, where the sun is in the high majority, leaving an unfulfilled thirst felt by all. As a steward to gardens, I attempt to be engaged and active with any supplementation or imitation of rainfall. Yes, water makes the garden more lush and succulent, but it leaves the plants conditional on an artificial intervals of resource support, thus creating a co-dependent situation.

The ultimate goal is to gather not only individual plants, but specific plant communities that can grow alongside one another without much resource input from humans, each finding and fulfilling a niche and participating in an ephemeral dance of give and take, waxing and waning with the seasonal changes. Holding back on irrigating stretches my ability to observe and understand the balance of water and oxygen in the soil, which in my opinion, is one of the most dynamic variables in life.

Side note: youthful, fresh plantings may need supplemental water to carry them through the first couple of years before they can fend the changes on their own. Maybe its twofold. Partly due to a life begun in plastic containers, intent on preparing healthy, transportable root systems to grab hold of the earth. Partly to the acclimatizing of place once those pampered roots are laid carefully down, tucked gently into soil. Who could say?

*Newly planted garden alongside mature garden photo by moki*

The self needs to be healthy and present, but without the intricacy of community, life for plants and humans alike would not be resilient, stable, or efficient. Tom Wessels a terrestrial ecologist has been studying complex system within the natural world and how there are parallels in the human world, and when we understand how to optimize roles and opportunities, we can create a healthier, happier world for us all. His description of self organization in a community and complex system is:

“Self organizination is a process that as a system grows, it not only gets bigger but more complex. The complexity coming from the parts becoming ever more specialized and tightly integrated together, with each part needing to do what it needs to do to sustain itself creating conditions that sustain the whole, and as a result these systems grow resilient, stable, and efficient.”

This in turn yields questions that rattle about in my skull.

How do I show up for myself? What do I offer for my communities? Where am I deficient in support or distributing time, resources, and energy? Who is currently leaning on me and who am I leaning on? When are the next social events occurring in my communities? Why am I creating or putting up walls? Will anyone come over them or must I break them down, or would a window or door suffice?

I take this challenge of watering in stride as it helps me navigate how I balance observing facts and feelings within myself and the facts and feelings of those in my surroundings. Beyond that, communicating properly and then responding to instead of reacting to the communication brings the cycle full circle.

For the plant: body of water evaporates, dissolves into air, collects as clouds, forms into droplets, descends back to earth, penetrates deep down, fine roots soak up, pump into energy processes, float off plants by evapotranspiration or evaporate from unused body of water.

For the human: idea enters conscious thought, inkling forms to insight, turns into words or actions expressed beyond self, made available for others to interpret, a verbal or physical call or response occurs, a conversation unfolds.

Steeped in rain. Steeped in thought. Steeped in support.

Begin again.

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Beyond appreciative and in admiration of the communities I interact with. Two noteworthy, community events this weekend were:

Creative Space Fest in Kenosha, WI. A block party festival showing support for the creative space and for the artists that give it life. Cherished friends of mine, Nathan Willison and Kady Wallner had INCREDIBLE art for sale!
- Nathan Willison of Awful Art and Fart City Fabrications
- Kady Wallner of Hot Mess Studios
Planting entrance gardens at Yerkes Observatory in Lake Geneva, WI. Roy Diblik of Northwind Perennial Farms and volunteers supported garden students at Gateway College by teaching how to install a garden.

Currently reading:

Naturalistic Planting Design by Nigel Dunnett
Horizon by Barry Lopez
Abeyance, North America by JoAnna Novak

Also fond thanks to Marlee Grace for channeling heartfelt, often improvised inspiration and for offering guidance on expressing oneself through a written, digital newsletter.

Here’s to embracing change and all the pivots.

Cheers!

-moki-

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