64 Nebraskaland • December 2024
In her essay "The Serviceberry," Kimmerer writes:
This abundance of berries feels like a pure gift from the land.
I have not earned, paid for, nor labored for them. There is no
mathematics of worthiness that reckons I deserve them in any
way. And yet here they are — along with the sun and the air and
the birds and the rain, gathering in the towers of cumulonimbi.
You could call them natural resources or ecosystem services, but
the Robins and I know them as gifts. We both sing gratitude with
our mouths full …
Gratitude is so much more than a polite "thank you." It is the
thread that connects us in a deep relationship, simultaneously
physical and spiritual, as our bodies are fed and spirits
nourished by the sense of belonging, which is the most vital of
foods. Gratitude creates a sense of abundance, the knowing
that you have what you need. In that climate of suffi ciency,
our hunger for more abates and we take only what we need, in
respect for the generosity of the giver.
If our fi rst response is gratitude, then our second is
reciprocity: to give a gift in return. What could I give these
plants in return for their generosity? It could be a direct
response, like weeding or water or a song of thanks that sends
appreciation out on the wind. Or indirect, like donating to my
local land trust so that more habitat for the gift givers will
be saved, or making art that invites others into the web of
reciprocity.
Gratitude and reciprocity are the currency of a gift economy,
and they have the remarkable property of multiplying with
every exchange, their energy concentrating as they pass from
hand to hand, a truly renewable resource. I accept the gift from
the bush and then spread that gift with a dish of berries to my
neighbor, who makes a pie to share with his friend, who feels
so wealthy in food and friendship that he volunteers at the food
pantry. You know how it goes."
Self to Nature
What has nature given you? A bunch of mosquito bites
and muddy shoes, or is it something more? What is that
reciprocal relationship with nature that you share? What
kinship exists there, if any?
The Nature Connectedness Scale. INFOGRAPHIC BY GRACE GAARD
Birdwatching at the Outdoor Discovery Program leads to a
nature connection at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area.
JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
