Goodness Weekly 01.22.24
“To be native to a place we must learn to speak its language.”
—Robin Wall Kimmerer
What’s Good
The predicted cold weather held off just long enough for the neighborhood to enjoy a beautiful Second Saturday. We added a new yoga instructor, Kim Turner, into our rotation who led a warm flow in the fellowship hall. One Another Coffee saw lots of friendly faces enjoying their morning walk, eager to try some of Biscuit Baby’s new treats. And we had an abundance of little ones excited to enjoy some sun on the lawn with storytime and a craft with Chelsea. Be on the lookout for details for February’s activities.
A Message from Taylor
Taylor Bates, Sunset Ridge Collective Deputy Director
Do you ever talk to plants, or is it just me? I’m currently reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass after it was recommended to me by two friends. It’s a memoir of Kimmerer’s perspective of the natural world as a trained biologist who is also connecting more deeply with her Native American heritage.
In the chapter, “Learning the Grammar of Animacy” she talks about how Native American language is entirely different from English in the way it refers to animals and plants. Kimmerer writes, “In English, we never refer to a member of our family, or indeed to any person, as it. That would be a profound act of disrespect. It robs a person of selfhood and kinship, reducing a person to a mere thing. So it is that in Potawani and most other Indigenous languages, we use the same words to address the living world as we use for our family. Because they are our family.”
This perspective has the power to affect how we engage with the living world. Since reading Kimmerer’s words, I’ve experimented with the way I talk about animals and plants with my three-year-old son. When he grabs a leaf of our giant Fiddle Leaf Fig in our living room I say, “That hurts our friend, Plant. He’s a living creature just like you. Will you please apologize to him?”
With the recent cold snap this past week we bought “plankets” (aka plant blankets) the weekend before to prep our plant family for the cold. I carefully wrapped the shrubs I know are more susceptible to below freezing temperatures, just as I tuck my children into bed at night.
Please indulge my subtle language shift below…
There is one extra special Tree, a Mountain Laurel breed, in our front yard that I especially took care to wrap and cover. A loved one’s ashes were spread over the roots of Tree when he was first planted. Somehow Tree has brought life out of death—those ashes becoming part of new cells that pulse with the energy of the universe. Every time I gazed out our front window while doing the dishes I felt a tug at my heart to see that six foot tall tree wrapped in a giant blanket. Tree somehow looked more human.
As I pulled the blanket off of Tree the morning the freeze lifted I spoke soft morning greetings to him, just as I did to my toddler upon his waking. This tenderness toward all living things impacts the way I make decisions throughout my day—the types of products I purchase and consume, the energy I expend, and how I move through my environment. Call me a tree hugger. These moments disrupt my sense of time and connect me with the eternal, even if just for a fleeting moment.
Around Our Community
Enjoy 20% off coworking memberships through February! Come try out our coworking community during January and February at a discounted rate. Need a space outside of your home or the cramped local coffee shop to do your work? We’ve got lots of desk space and One Another Coffee is on our campus where coworking members get a forever 10% discount for coffee and treats.
This Week
Sunday, January 28
4:30pm Chapel worship
6:00pm Parent group & youth group
Inhale:
As I uncover the limitations of my words,
Exhale:
May I find connection to all around me.
Subscribe to Sunset Ridge Collective on YouTube. We will be hosting our umbrella of work all in one place and would love to see you there.
