Nature Notice: Earth: The One That Holds Us

There is something easy to overlook about the earth beneath our feet.

It’s always there.

We walk across it without thinking about it.

We build on it.

Grow food in it.

Plant trees in it.

Dig into it.

Return things to it.

And yet the earth rarely demands our attention.

It simply holds us.

A seed falls into soil and the earth gives it somewhere to begin.

Rain sinks into the ground.

Roots reach downward.

Worms, fungi, insects, microorganisms, and countless unseen processes work beneath the surface.

So much life is happening where we can’t see it.

And perhaps that’s one of the earth’s greatest lessons.

Not everything that matters is visible.

We live in a world that celebrates what can be measured and displayed.

Progress.

Production.

Achievement.

Movement.

Results.

But the earth doesn’t rush to prove that something is happening.

A seed can sit beneath the soil for days, weeks, sometimes much longer before we see anything above the surface.

That doesn’t mean nothing is happening.

There is work happening underground.

Roots forming.

Conditions changing.

Life preparing itself.

And sometimes our own lives are like that.

We may look around and think we’re not moving.

We’re not accomplishing enough.

We’re not where we thought we’d be.

But perhaps something is happening beneath the surface.

Perhaps we’re rebuilding.

Resting.

Gathering strength.

Learning.

Releasing.

Creating roots.

The earth doesn’t ask the seed to hurry.

It simply provides the conditions for growth.

And then…

it holds.

Maybe we need more of that.

Not always another push.

Not always another goal.

Not always another thing to fix or become.

Sometimes we need somewhere safe enough to land.

Somewhere we can put our weight down.

Somewhere we don’t have to perform.

The earth reminds us that being held is part of becoming.

So today, notice the ground beneath you.

Feel your feet.

Notice the weight of your body.

Let yourself remember that you don’t have to hold everything by yourself.

The earth has been holding you this entire time.

What would change if you allowed yourself to be supported instead of always trying to hold everything together?

Nature has something to teach us today.

The question is… are we paying attention?

Jen

Nature’s Renewal.