Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention,

on purpose,

in the present moment,

non-judgmentally.

 

—Jon Kabat-Zinn

Claudia L’Amoreaux

Mindful Digital Life

Nature and Well-being

Look to the roots

© by Claudia L’Amoreaux

Sequoia National Forest. Claudia L’Amoreaux, 1998

Words elude me today.

I chop wood

carry water

metaphorically,

tending to laundry

washing dishes

feeding dog.

Vertical blinds

tap each other in the breeze

click clicking.

A mockingbird shouts

about I don’t know what.

One word surfaces like a

bubble floating to the surface of a pond:

Solace.

Another word joins with…

Offering solace.

And a flow unlocks…

Strength

Courage

Clarity

Perseverance

Gratitude for all

the beings working

to further kindness

and understanding

Look to the roots.

The photo above is of a photograph I had enlarged to hang in my office. I moved out of my office in 2020 as many people with offices did. It now hangs behind me in my home office/living room that doubles as an art studio and maker space when my granddaughter comes to visit. Notice the second tree from the right—you might be able to spot the dark entrance to the interior of that giant elder. The diameter inside must be at least 12 feet. Standing in there, I could actually hear a deep grounding tone. When I walked back outside, profoundly moved, I took this photo.

Resources

Powers of Ten, written and directed by Charles and Ray Eames, a classic masterpiece first released in 1968. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. And if you have seen it, watch it again now for a perspective shift.

Mindful Movement for Young Learners, a 5-minute video produced by the Center for Healthy Minds. Lisa Thomas Prince, a contributor to the Healthy Minds Kindness Curriculum, shares a practice for young learners to promote well-being. I love how these simple movements based on various animals naturally incorporate calming breath.

Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Explore the abundance of free educational resources they provide on a wide range of topics, including the recent Buffalo shooting and gun violence in schools.

And the Maker award for the month goes to Ryan Honary, age 14, for developing a remote wildfire sensor. Read about Ryan and his invention here.

“Good heavens. What insect could suck it?”

© by Claudia L’Amoreaux

Good heavens. What insect could suck it? —Charles Darwin

I’m going to keep this post very simple today. I’d like you to meet Carlton Ward, Jr., conservation photographer, Mac Stone, conservation photographer, Peter Houlihan, tropical ecologist, and their film crew. Their film, Chasing Ghosts is the winner of Best Ecosystem Film – Short Form and Best Science in Nature Film – Short Form at the 2020 Jackson Wild Media Awards. I follow Carlton on Instagram. His work focuses on saving the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

This film is 15 minutes and 36 seconds long. You will meet meet the Super Ghost (orchid), the mystery of its pollinator, and some fiercely dedicated humans. Watch it with your families and/or students—it is awe-inspiring. We especially need role models like this crew today.

YouTube screenshot

Please note: I subscribe to Premium YouTube so I can watch videos without ads. If you have children, the 11.99 m subscription fee for one device is a very good investment, especially if you have younger children. Otherwise, mute the device during ads. I recommend viewing on a larger screen than a phone if possible.

Announcement

Pulitzer Center in launching “The 1619 Project” Educator Network. They are accepting applications by March 15 to join the inaugural cohort and for grants for educators to support curriculum development. More information here.

I have 15 minutes. I can count.

© by Claudia L’Amoreaux

15 minutes for birds? That’s what the Great Backyard Bird Count asks of your time (at a minimum). It’s been one year since the last and this year, I won’t be seeing wild turkeys in my yard. I moved and discovered a new backyard shortly after the 2020 bird count. We shall see in 2021. I have some guesses. I have 15 minutes. I can count. It’s a global event. Anyone can participate, from novices to experts. (Don’t get hung up on “backyard”—backyard can be anywhere near you where you can see birds.)

From the website…

Great Backyard Bird Count results from 2020:

  • 268,674 Estimated Participants
  • 27,270,156 Total Birds Counted
  • 6,942 Species of Birds Identified
  • 194 Countries
Keira the Dog is getting ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count

You might also appreciate

African American English through the Years – A Presentation by Dr. Lisa Green of UMass Amherst. Watch the whole thing. Yes, it’s long (1 hour, 20 mins). Dr. Green is awesome and makes it well worth each minute of your precious time. My thanks to Cihan Tekay on the HASTAC blog for the pointer.

SARS-CoV-2, Nature, and Well-being

© by Claudia L’Amoreaux

The first case of COVID-19 was identified one year ago in California (my home state) on January 25, 2020. Today, the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants impact every aspect of our lives. In California alone, the current data reports over 3 million infections. In particular, this microscopic virus has revealed ever more clearly the harsh injustices of social inequality that require our immediate attention and action. The new Biden administration’s laser focus on the pandemic, placing it front and center, reflects the seriousness of what we’re facing.

It has been tempting to imagine this will all go away soon. Today, it’s pretty clear, the virus is with us for a while. I have asked myself many times, “What can I do to support well-being during such a a challenging time—for myself, my family and friends, and my communities, local and online?” I find myself returning to the tag line I chose when I started this blog in December, 2016. You can see it in the Mindful Digital Life header I use in my email newsletter—it’s nestled in the clouds. Grounded in Nature & Connection.

How we ground in nature is very unique to individuals and families. How we ground depends on where we live, how we work, the ages of our children and grandchildren, how we were raised, just to name a few influences. Working from home as I am, here at my desk, I am lucky to have a ground floor apartment with a small fenced-in patio with lemon trees, a magnolia tree, and even a majestic pine tree. The first thing I did when I moved here at the start of the pandemic was to repurpose a planter stand and a a large planter saucer into a bird bath. Keeping the water fresh for the birds is one of the best grounding activities I could have imagined. Over the months I’ve had the pleasure of watching new birds discover this watering hole. I’ve learned to have my small binoculars right on my desk beside my laptop. When I see a bird at the bath, I stop what I’m working on and pull the binoculars to my eyes to study how they drink, bathe, and clean their feathers. Such moments renew me. And the science bears my subjective experience out. Here’s a quote from a recent Audubon article, More Birds Bring More Happiness, According to Science.

A growing body of scientific evidence also shows that the joy delivered by birds isn’t just anecdotal. Research increasingly links exposure to nature—and specifically, exposure to birds—with improved wellbeing. In December, a new study by the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research connected greater bird biodiversity to increased life-satisfaction for more than 26,000 people in 26 European countries. It turns out the people who live near natural areas with a greater diversity of bird species were demonstrably happier. In fact, the study found that seeing 10 percent more bird species generates satisfaction on par with a comparable increase in income.

I’ve written previously about the Backyard Birds of Western North America Flash Cards that I ordered from TheCornellLab. Playing with the flash cards is an activity I’ve found to be successful via Zoom and Facetime calls with my almost-3-year-old granddaughter. She can identify quite a few of the birds now. I started with my own favorites—the Northern Flicker, the Yellow-billed Magpie, the Great Blue Heron, the Snowy Egret, the Red-winged Blackbird. I don’t share these with her because I think memorizing bird names is important. I share them with her because recognizing birds helps us notice them. And it is fun. She enjoys the cards and asks for them when we’re on video calls.

What birds do you notice where you live? Cornell Lab has an enormous amount of resources. Spend a little time with your children exploring their website this week. (Some days when I have a lot of work at my computer, I’ll put one of the live cams up…I especially enjoy the Sapsucker Woods Pond Cam, located at the lab in Ithaca, NY. And some days, I’ll watch the Panama Fruit Feeders Cam.)

Next post, I’ll share some stories about grounding in connection.

A few additional resources

Facing History and Ourselves offers Reflecting on Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb.”

If you have older kids and/or students who want to understand viruses better, Harvard offers:

A World of Viruses

How the Body Reacts to Viruses