the plants don’t owe you anything. not one thing.
not to grow. not to blossom. not to bear fruit. not to be covered in leaves to give you shade. not to be beautiful or nourishing or provide shelter.
they don’t have to be the keepers of your secrets. they don’t have to provide food for your table.
when i read the reasons why people start gardens, it’s so they have something beautiful to look at, or grow veggies and fruit and herbs for their families. people use it as a way to improve their mental health. which all are true, but/and/also those are selfish reasons. those are all what you NEED from them. it’s what you can extract from them. it’s the same reasoning that people give for having children: because they will take care of me when I get older. it’s prime capitalism – extractive, always-consuming – wrapped up in lush greenery and a rainbow of colors.
what if you gave the plants good sun, soil, and water. what if you kept chemicals out of that water. what if you took care of that soil, so it stays healthy and provides all of us with what we need to grow. without the expectation of something in return.
like love. unconditional.
and here’s the thing with that unconditional love and respect for everything non-human around us… it will be given to us tenfold back.
we take care of the planet as best we can. it will take care of us the best it can.
that’s my north star. and with this eclipse, that’s my movement forward.
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