What is Balance Anyway?
March 25, 2023
Dryness becomes damp. Dust becomes mud. Drought is replaced by abundant rain, in some places more than enough. I feel how small I am in the grand scheme of things as huge clouds pass overhead. What is balance anyway? A place we pass through on the way from one edge to the other?
I learned this week that building one mile of mountain bike trail destroys an acre of wild land. 40 miles have recently been built in our county alone. 40 acres of habitat destroyed. Nesting grounds, food sources, native trillium all lost to the “conquerors” of today. They want to build more, they try to sneak into areas they’ve not been allowed and hope they won’t be noticed. They hope no one will realize the damage a mountain bike trail can do (it’s not as obvious as a development or a landfill) or at least no one will care enough to speak up. I am grateful for the watchers, for the protectors like my friend Mary who pay attention and speak up.
This lake did not exist when I was a child. It too was wild with streams running through it. The lake was built for human enjoyment but the parks were intended to have conservation in mind. Are we honoring both? The kayakers, golfers, campers, boaters, horseback riders, hikers and bikers are returning. There is wild land but some of that is now leased for farming too. The trash all around the park speaks sadly for itself. What would balance look like even here, in what is left of our “green space”?
What of my own impact on the world - and on this place? Assuredly my being here has some impact that is harmful and if there were not human constructs like paths and roads I wouldn’t be here enjoying this either. Am I honoring both the human and non-human residents here? Despite my best intentions, what harm have I done today, this month, this year? All creatures do harm in their own ways and all creatures contribute to the cycle of life. We are all destroyers - and we are all innocents. What is balance anyway?
As I walk, mulling all of this I watch a loon swimming out beyond the buoys. I watch the ring-billed gulls diving for fish. I watch three eastern phoebes chasing each other around, vying for the best nesting spot the dock has to offer. I watch the male mallard dutifully following his mate, making sure her way is clear. I watch the herons jockeying for position along the edge of the cove.
An old fisherman walks by and greets me with a smile. His body is bent, no longer able to straighten, and the effects of life show on his body. It would be easy to think life has not been kind to him. Yet he greets me with the warmest “good morning” I can imagine. There is a joy shining from him as he says, “I pray you have a blessed day”. I can feel the sincerity of his words and I feel the healing energy as it penetrates my being. We can all do harm, but we can all heal too, regardless of our place in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps this is the balance I am looking for.
I spend the rest of my walk wishing blessings to every being I meet - human, feathered, furry and those with leaves. I don’t know what impact it has, but if just one other being felt the way I did when that fisherman blessed me it was worth it. Maybe I can’t balance the harm with my own ways of healing - and maybe every little bit counts.
Friends, I pray you have a blessed day. My the sun shine upon you in the most healing way possible. May you love and feel loved. May you find something - anything - to care deeply about. May you include yourself in that love.
“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson
Thank you to my friend Kai Siedenburg of Our Nature Connection for sharing that quote with me! For any writers or aspiring writers, Kai runs a lovely “Nature of Writing” course I can highly recommend.
Note: After I published this I learned they have built 100s of miles of trails in my county, the 40 is in one county park alone. I wonder how much would be “enough”?
Beautifully written nature post with a strong dose of deep, penetrating thoughts. I really enjoyed this - and the photos!
Thank you for this deeply moving and thought-provoking meditation. As I contemplate the possibility of needing heart surgery, I feel blessed by your beautiful, optimistic, healing words. They have helped "destroy" some of my anxiety and "created" hope and confidence. The next time you see the old fisherman, give him a blessing salutation from me! :-)