o start, big thanks to @benzillion for opening up his blog space to all of us normal guys. I've been excited to share some creative writing/thoughts and I hope to see more people doing the same. Go submit a post ASAP!
Humans and nature speak the same language- are we losing sight of the thing that connects us all?
This and many other nature related thoughts have been on my mind for a few weeks now. Historically, the humans have existed as hunters and gatherers, some drifting and others living in a permanent spot. Life is different now in 2025, we work jobs/careers to survive and rely on smaller villages. We have a lot of advantages thanks to modern medicine and sharing thoughts and ideas easily to each other through the internet. One thing I’ve noticed since being on the internet is that a lot of people are sharing that they are pretty sad and frustrated with life, which I’m sure has always happened but some days it feels bigger than that. While some are saying that people should “touch grass”, I think that it’s a great start. I think a lot of the issues we have in the world can be solved or soothed by being in nature or even simulating nature in your modern living space. In no shape or form am I saying that medication and professional help is not necessary. Please seek help if you are struggling.
How can we connect with nature when we live in a strip-mall suburban hell scape? The other day I found a patch of grass between the strip-mall salon I work at and a 7eleven. I sat with my shoes on the cement curb and all I could hear was cars passing and some wind. Summer heat feels hotter when it’s radiating off of black paved roads and stucco buildings. I looked around and noticed something growing out of a crack in the road, it was a little spiky weed. A car at the 7 eleven had a big tumbleweed tangled under the front bumper. Utah is a desert and it still shows, even though we keep building over everything that once grew here naturally. I think the harsher the living conditions the harder life has to try to push through the cracks, and what is left is a spiky weed sometimes. Times are hard for a lot of people right now but what do we need? I think we need to get back to the basics, and connect with nature!
Men live on a 24 hour reproductive cycle, women live on a 28 day(ish) reproductive cycle, is it a coincidence that the earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours while the moon takes 28(ish) days to complete an orbit around the earth? Maybe! Or maybe, these parallels mean something. I don’t mean to get kooky and I know that this isn’t some sort of amazing scientific breakthrough either, but I think that we all speak the same language as plants and animals- and in nature we are all connected. I believe our minds and bodies crave the real natural stuff, we have a sixth sense to notice when something is artificial. We need to be in fresh air and sunlight like a plant. I think that there are small ways to bring nature into your life to fulfil those needs. Here are some of my most recent ways I have been connecting with nature:
Opening all of the windows for a minute in the morning, even in winter.
Sitting still enough to watch a cloud move.
Taking off my shoes in a park and “touching grass” literally.
Listening to ocean sounds on my son's sound machine (this is a desperate one, unfortunately. But I am at the ocean in my mind!).
Drink matcha (I imagine it's dirt).
These examples are silly but also real to me, I think that it’s the small things that bring us together and we’re all on the same team. If you have made it this far through my rambling I just want to thank you. Nature is on your side and I hope you enjoy a small piece of it today.
Bye!!
-Janaye