Daily Nourishment for September 22, 2024: Give Your Attention to the Natural World to Discover What You Need to Remember Today
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
Blue poured into summer blue,
A hawk broke from his cloudless tower,
The roof of the silo blazed, and I knew
That part of my life was over.
- Stanley Kunitz
Pause.
Take deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while reading “End of Summer” by Stanley Kunitz.
Then walk outside and give your attention to the natural world around you.
Prompt.
I first noticed green acorns in August 2020 after my dad died.
At the time, I was in the habit of walking down and back on the street behind our home. In this season of intense grief, I only had the mental energy to walk in a straight line for several blocks, then turn around and return to where I came from.
Because I walked up and down the same street repeatedly, sometimes multiple times each day, I saw many things I hadn’t seen before.
A quick Google search told me that the oaks near my house were stressed because they were dropping acorns earlier than usual. The early acorns from anxious trees are a beautiful mossy lime green.
I picked up a few green acorns while walking on a Memphis trail this morning. I have them sitting on the table during my work and writing session at a local coffee shop to remind me that we are connected to the natural world.
I still wonder whose stress came first—ours or the trees’?
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and take notes or journal in response to the Pause and Prompt above or the questions below.
- What do you want to notice on this first day of fall?
- What do you want to remember about the summer that has come to a close?
- What do the trees and other natural elements near your home tell you about yourself and the world around you?
- What reminders does the natural world hold for you and your creative practice today?
If you like, use your notes or journal entry to write a new poem, story, essay, or letter to a friend in the coming days.
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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