Bridget Butler
The Faster One Goes

It had been weeks since I sat in nature. With the new job and the onslaught of holidays, I couldn’t recall the last time I went out and sat on the land and visited with the birds. No matter, I have my routine. I have places I’ve built deep connections with that I’ve returned to over and over again.

But, it wasn’t that simple even with the routine. As I walked out to the Sister Rocks along Lake Carmi, the never-ending conveyor belt in my mind of job tasks, family needs, meetings, and balls dropped all creaked to a slow roll but never stopped. I greeted the Sister Rocks and the trees, apologized for my long absence, and started to unpack my slow birding kit: folding stool, a fleecy blanket, hot tea, and my bins. I pulled out my notebook and colored pencils just in case I was inspired to write or draw.

The Faster One Goes

kinship

On Kith & Kin

On Kith & Kin

As we head into November, a season of gratitude and returning to the earth, I’ve been thinking about an interview that has stayed with me all year. It was a podcast with Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit. She was talking about the phrase “kith and kin” and how over time we’ve lost the meaning of the word kith. When she explained and defined “kith” as meaning country, land, or home, it was like a reverberation through me. This is a word I need.