22/04/2025
Interesting and some kind of lovely synchronicity for it to be Earth Day today, after spending the weekend with friends and strangers, in the Welsh countryside, eating fresh and plentiful food, moving, chanting, sauna-ing, living. Less doing, more being was the overall vibe. Less trying hard, more finding pleasure and contentment in simplicity. And a group of people who shared how much it meant to them, to be as they were, to not feel they had to show up in a certain way or strive for more.
And of course arguably all of this was a massive luxury. I paid to travel to Wales, to not think about cooking for a weekend, to take part in the most wondrous practices with a truly brilliant yoga teacher. Abundance that so many do not receive. But equally, all those things feel like how we could/should/might be living, if we focused on different visions of life. Like, what do people really need? (safety, shelter, food, rights, love, compassion). Then, what brings us contentment? How does it feel to do and want less? And - in my having less, could others have more? There's enough to go round, that's the point, except there's not because we complicated things and got greedy.
This weekend was probably the first time I've felt genuinely present and relaxed for years. It makes me wonder what we're all doing, and what we could be feeling instead.
A newsletter I read today from Yrsa Daley-Ward echoes some of what I've been reflecting on (synchronicity, again): "We build versions of ourselves in response to chaos, disappointment, danger, or neglect. It helped us survive, but it’s also the reason so many of us are so damn exhausted. Here’s the wildest thing I know, and I'm still coming to terms with it…
This isn’t my real(est) life. Or your real(est) life (probably)..."
Sorry there's no CTA or succinct message here. But I think I'm saying this Earth Day, to reflect on what your real(est) life could be. Or, what OUR real(est) life could be. Because we so badly need that.
Elena said "Something magic unfolds as we return to the simplicity of life in nature... and practices that re-enliven our sense of belonging and interconnectedness with one another."
So maybe that can be the task. How to re-enliven your sense of belonging and interconnectedness. Start from there - and keep going.