Day 20... forest

“The moral covenant of reciprocity calls us to honor our responsibilities for all we have been given, for all that we have taken. It’s our turn now, long overdue.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Ponderosa Park, McCall, Idaho

Each year for Project Peace, I’ve written a sort of folktale that pulls together many elements of our 21-day journey. Today, I share with you a folkish poem. So, pull up a chair and a beverage of your choosing and enjoy this brief little tale.

A lone woman

A lone woman leaps in the forest…

        She dances for joy

        Where all Kingdoms, Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Fungi, Plantae, Protista, Animalia thrive

        Pollen mingles, nuts transported, life moves above and below

        A watercolor in motion… red, brown, green, orange 

        A place where the interconnectedness of life prevails

A lone woman weeps in the forest…

               She bows her head

               The streams move no more, water only found in her tears

               Objects foreign lay scattered on the once thriving floor

               Silence lingers beneath the rocks and fallen trees

               A dullness pervades

               Death lurks…

A lone woman sweeps in the forest…

                       She persists with her head lifted once more

                       Purify, extract, and atone for the choices made

                       Remedy, rectify, and restore

                       For the colors to return, the chatter to fill the air

                       And for all Kingdoms to thrive once again…

A lone woman sleeps in the forest…

                              The task too great for one alone

                              To bear the burden of so many

                              Work not yet completed

                              She lays down her head and waits

                              For those that have created this mess

 to choose authenticity,

                              simplicity,

a way that honors the Earth.

A lone woman rests in peace in the forest…

                                      She waits patiently

                                      She will persist

                                      For one day, the colors will return

                                      The birds will frolic on the waves of the wind and water

                                      Purity to the water and the air will be restored

                                      Reciprocity will be the chosen way…

A lone woman and all her children,

flora, fauna, animals and more,

shout for joy in the forest.

“Whatever our gift, we are called to give it and to dance for the renewal of the world. In return for the privilege of breath.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer

Daily peace tip #20

Who is the woman in the forest?

Today’s tip is simple…be intentional about making space for peace. What will you do today, the 2nd to last day of Project Peace to assure you say “yes” to peace. Perhaps your “yes” was as simple as taking the time to read this post… perhaps it’s a walk in the park, or meeting a friend for a cup of coffee.

I want to make you aware of something special happening tomorrow. It’s a minute of silence occurring around the world on December 21. Here’s a link to the details.

peace to all,

Christina

Day 19... lichens

“Lichens are a couple in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Green, orange, white…

The union of a fungus and an algae… to become one being yet two separate parts.

It’s not a new being yet nor is it just a collective new name for these joint entities.

It’s a relationship entered into for survival for mutual benefit…

providing nutrients to one another…

when one cannot exist alone.

The lichen is not parasitic in the fact that it does not consume one part at the expense of another; rather it enters into a relationship… one part provides vital minerals, the other the sugar. They are not plants, nor flowers or mosses… they are lichens.

It is thought that 6% of the Earth is covered with lichens and that over 20,000 species exist. They are thought to be some of the longest living creatures on the planet. These resilient beings can survive in the coldest and hottest environments and regenerate oxygen from carbon dioxide. Plus, they retain environmental pollutants further protecting the planet from toxins…

Co-existing in the harshest environments and the most precarious of places…

Lichens in the winter, Maine. Image used with permission, Mary Jane Mucklestone.

Lichens as peace. Two beings, oh so different, they even come from different Kingdoms, yet they don’t just co-exist, they thrive.

Oh, the lessons available to us from nature.

Reciprocity… the Earth provides for us and we are here to be good stewards of the land.

A mutual relationship…

“Undaunted, lichens volunteered to put down roots and homestead stone - metaphorically, of course, since they have no roots. This is an asset when there is no soil. Lichens have no roots, no leaves, no flowers. They are life at its most basic.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Sweet lichens and buttercups, Cordova, AK

Daily peace tip #19

Look for lichens today! Lichens are an example of peace… surviving and perhaps thriving in the given environment.

Where do you spy lichens?

My other favorite book from this year is called “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s so good I began pacing myself and savoring each chapter not wanting the book to end. This book is peace AND hope. The main theme is “reciprocity.” With all the reading I did this year about the food system, the climate crisis and the despair I would feel, I would return to this book. If you do nothing else as a result of Project Peace… read this book.

Resources: The Hidden Forest and Wikipedia

Day 18... love

Falling in love… with a place.

Finding peace in that space…

To be called from the inside out to be there…

where one’s own time stands still…

to just be, in the moment.

Westerwick, Shetland, UK.

Shetland, UK is one of those places for me. There’s something about this land that calls my entire being to this rock in the North Atlantic Ocean. I’m perplexed by my love for this place as it is treeless and trees move my soul like nothing else.

Yet there’s this energy that vibrates from this land that I cannot escape as I find myself returning time and time again…

Perhaps it’s the peat. Yesterday, I discussed the amazing powers of peat. This vibrant source of energy…capturing the product of our excesses.

The Deeps, Shetland, UK

Or the waters silent at the moment yet stormy the next; filled with abundant life below the surface.

A place where the old meets the new. Sheep abound providing a livelihood for so many on the island…

connecting with place…

falling in love with a space…

finding peace that nourishes the soul.

Reawick Church, Shetland, UK

Daily peace tip #18

Connecting with the Earth, our third aspect of peace. Where is it that place that you find peace? What element of nature captures your attention and sparks your interest tp learn more? Perhaps it’s the ocean, a forest, a river? Maybe it’s trees, flowers, fungi, birds? Nature has so much to teach us if we allow ourselves the opportunity to slow down and listen.

Identify one element of nature that draws you in to learn more?

What aspect of nature do you LOVE?

Find your peace in that moment…

Day 17... peat

“There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with the Earth. Our personal and collective survival depends on it.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Meet peat… the most powerful carbon sink on Earth, capable of holding twice as much carbon as a pristine redwood forest.

A peat bog in Shetland, UK

Peatlands are the planet’s second most carbon rich ecosystem made up of layers of partially decayed plant material trapping carbon absorbed from the atmosphere by plants. Peatlands cover about 3 percent of the earth's land surface but can hold as much as half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is in the atmosphere. The actual peat grows about 1mm a year on a healthy bog whereas a damaged bog loses about 2-3 cms a year releasing stored carbon into the air.

The carbon sequestered in Scottish peatland is equivalent to 140 years of Scotland's total annual greenhouse gas emissions. About 50% of Shetland is covered in peat, but Scottish Natural Heritage estimated that 70% of Shetland's peatlands are damaged, therefore releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Sue White showing me a peat bog that was under restoration, November 2018, Shetland, UK.

Last year, I had the honor of meeting with Sue White, the Peatland ACTION Project Officer in Shetland, UK. I knew peat was an important part of the Shetland culture, particularly as a source of fuel to heat homes but I had absolutely no idea just how valuable this soil was. Before my visit, I thought of it as an energy source for heat… after 1 hour with Sue, I’d come to realize it’s one of the most important CARBON SINKS on the PLANET.

My visit with Sue was one of the highlights of my trip. I was amazed at how little I knew about peat and what I learned from her in such a short time. Sue’s job is to educate people about peat bogs, map damaged/eroded peat bogs, seek funding for restoration projects AND to restore them. Her work in this remote area of the world truly impacts all of us.

Sue recently wrote “I did a quick back of the envelope calculation for Shetland- our damaged bogs are emitting over a million tonnes equivalent of CO2 per year, that’s the same as over 200,000 cars.” So, restoring these precious lands is crucial work.

Sue White on location at a current restoration project in Shetland, UK.

I asked Sue if she could share her thoughts on the relationship between peat bogs and peace. Here’s her amazing response:
“Interesting! There is personal peace- I get to know a site incredibly well and for me that closeness and being out and at one with the environment is where I find peace. On one of my sites I can stand and look north to Ronas Hill (highest point in Shetland), I can see the Garthsness to the south, almost the most southerly tip of Shetland, to the east, the isle of Whalsay and looking west there is a wee chink in the hills where Foula (most westerly island) lines up perfectly. When a wee flock of snow buntings go by in a flurry that is perfect.”

She continues,

“But on a global/humanwide scale - much of the damage to peatlands is human in origin (drainage, cutting peat or overgrazing), and we as humans are busy destroying our planet in so many other ways. Peatland restoration is about atoning for that damage and making peace with the planet.”

Thank you Sue for all you do!

Peace in action!

Daily peace tip #17

Today, take a walk (or a sit in a park) and with each step (or breath) become aware of your feet on the Earth. Bring your attention to the ground and allow your thoughts to honor the Earth. If it’s warm enough to knit, perhaps take a few stitches with the planet in mind.

“…fall in love with the Earth.”

Sue referenced this website for many of the facts provided.

A healthy, restored bog. Shetland, UK.