Jodie Boxell

The Caretaker Monthly: Sharing the Journey Jodie Boxell

The earth provides for us everything we need. In the natural realm, things have not changed since the dawn of mankind. The plant community still gives to us, food, medicine and the utilitarian aspects of survival. The animals we share our space with also have many things to give. In this fast paced world that we live in, we quite often forget where the true basics of life come from. Our habitat, our home, has not changed in the last few centuries nearly as much as our way of thinking. Our lives are comprised of so much more than just supplying the basics of food, shelter and water. We sometimes need a little taste of humility and gratitude and a sense of belonging. The earth mother gives us more than just sustenance, she also feeds our souls and our minds. We live on this planet for not much more than a moment compared to the cycles the earth goes through yet we make an impact, we leave behind the tracks of where we have journeyed, we blaze a trail for those that come later to follow. By entering back into the world of nature, gathering and planting, taking and giving back, we can remember where we came from, why we belong here, and gather some of those things that make life a gift that deserves receiving. In the natural world there is food, medicine, shelter and treasures more than we can carry. Our path is the circle of life and we share it with all life. We have traveled so far and accomplished so much yet we give back so very little. We can never give back to the earth enough to make up for life as we know it, we can only join in with life as it is.