December 2024 • Nebraskaland 63
a) Did you have a favorite tree growing up, or a
special place you went to?
b) Did you have a close encounter with something,
alive or not?
c) Was there a specifi c habitat you visited that had
an infl uence on you?
d) This could be over a span of time or one
particular experience that infl uenced you. For
this prompt, focus on describing what you
remember of the natural world.
2. Refl ect on your experiences from the fi rst prompt and
now write about how they made you feel or what they
made you think.
a) What infl uence did this have on your ideas or
personal growth?
b) Have these places or species changed in any
way since you last experienced them?
c) Have there been any big shifts for you since the
experience?
Understanding our connection to nature from the past
can be helpful in processing how we arrived at the beliefs
we hold today. And while it is guaranteed that we're all
diff erent, I would take a bold guess and say that most of us
will look back and fi nd that nature gave us something.
Reciprocity
Nature is reciprocal. If you're not familiar with the term
reciprocity, it's essentially the practice of exchanging things
with others for mutual benefi t. I learned about this concept
from Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer. I recommend reading her
essay, "The Serviceberry."
Additionally, Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass is a
personal favorite, capturing nature, what it is, and how
we interact with one another, better than most works I
have read. An enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi
Nation, Kimmerer blends her traditional ecological
knowledge with incredible storytelling and accurate
science fl awlessly.
The author works to honor her connection to nature through artwork that educates about Nebraska's species and landscapes.
ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE GAARD
