We are of the Earth

The season is shifting this week with the fall equinox. Two days ago, the first rain after the long dry summer fell with that particular smell of wet earth. The apples are ripening, and I wake in the night to the sounds of animals crunching on crisp fruit. The reverberations of wildness worm their way into my dreams and shift me into a hazy wakefulness in the wee hours of the night. There is a particular romantic view of pristine (or dangerous) nature, separate from us, that is not so accurate. Humans are of the earth, wild and not completely contained by the civilization that we call modern. We are nature, alive with a body that, like the bears, enjoys a fresh apple. It is easy to get caught up in life, rushing this way and that because there is always so much to be done. That is one story, and it is true that you are probably very busy. But it would only take a moment to pause and remember your untamed aliveness. Look at the sky, smell the earth, and taste a sweet fruit.