Reciprocity is something we have largely forgotten when it comes to our interactions with the earth. When it comes to Nature, which is both us and more than us. Reciprocity means giving something when you take something. It means if you don't need it, don't take it. It means when you do need something, take it, but don't take it all. Leave some for others. Leave some so it can regenerate. Take care of things. Be conscious.
I was thinking recently about reciprocity. About how much I consume and how little I return. I felt hopeless at first thinking that really the most I can do is to express gratitude, offer prayers of thanks, be conscious and mindful - basically only symbolic action. At first that seemed like little more than a feel good exercise not really giving anything of substance back. But when I did those things outside under the sun, with my bare feet on the earth, among the trees, plants, animals, birds, insects, stones, soil, it felt like something.
It became something real when I felt my connection to all of this life. When I felt myself a part of this organism. My sickness feeds the sickness of the whole and the sickness of the whole sickens me. My health and well-being are dependent on and contribute to the health and well-being of the whole as well. A little bit matters.
I started paying more attention to where I place my feet when I'm walking. I thought about whether I really needed to drive anywhere today. I thought about picking up the trash on the roadside. About feeding the squirrels, chipmunks and birds as a daily practice. I take better care of my roommate/plant lately. I read about a girl who practices chaos gardening which amounts to throwing a handful of local wildflower seeds on any open ground you can get access to. I put water out for the bees, something I'd never considered doing before.
We have to step outside our way of living if we hope to live. I'm trying to act differently.
The hummingbirds returned yesterday.
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