The Reciprocity of Rain
The way in which I view the world is also the way in which I participate in it. I am earthy and grounded, yet I have a rich inner life that guides me as my moral compass and gives me meaning and reason for engaging with the world. I live in a world where I am here to be fully in the experience of living, since, after all, I am alive… And so are you. Allow me to clarify.
I live in a world where things don’t happen TO me, they happen around me, with me, as much as I happen to it. This isn’t just the world I’m living in, but the way in which I approach it and view it.
I live in a world where my actions and decisions knowingly affect others. By others I mean my fellow humans as well as the entirety of the living world. If I don’t watch where I step, I might end a life of a ground dweller just trying to make its way across a footpath, for example.
I live in a world where the sight of plastic on what could be a pristine costal habitat could make me frustrated, angry, sad… and those feelings are okay. I could also see it as hopeless and the act of removing what I can carry might seem pointless. Sure. But the world in which I live gives me a choice and what I choose to see is that even small acts make a difference.
Am I making a difference by picking up a few pieces of trash on my beach walk? If I saved one life from ingesting it, yes. If I leave it for something that might somehow find it appetizing, yes. Either way I am making a choice. Take it or leave it. Now, if someone were to witness my gesture, they might become inspired to shift their gaze towards the sand and do the same. We begin to create an even bigger ripple in the proverbial ocean. We all have an effect on each other, to potentially inspire and teach one another simply with our actions. There are also times when a churning of difficult emotions are necessary for the genesis of growth. It’s like tilling the soil, so to speak. It is in these times I remember that our deepest challenges are often our greatest teachers, but this is more obvious than the point which I am speaking to.
I live in a world where this teaching relationship extends beyond human action. Rather than usingthe ocean, animals, and plants for my sustenance and well-being, I come up with a way to express my gratitude. For example, I get to know their names, for that plant deserves to be seen for whoit is: Matilija Poppy, Wild Oat, Purple Sage… Once you educate yourself on who is in your presence, perhaps by their appearance in all seasons, their fragrance or lack thereof, they grace you with the knowledge of how they can be a part of your life: As a glimpse of beauty, a delicious meal, or a medicinal tea.
It only makes sense that should we care for what cares for us. Whether or not we are conscious of it, we are in relationship with the world around us. When we become aware of this fact it becomes reciprocity.
Reciprocity. Participation. In communion with. An exchange. Namaste.
Begin by imagining all of the possible outcomes for a simple act. It could be anything. Would you bring your shopping cart back or leave it in the parking lot? Do you reach out to a friend today or wait awhile? Do you trim back a hedge or let it grow wild? Start the practice of becoming aware of who you might affect, from the smallest of creatures as well as our fellow humans.
When we shift our thinking from an “actions don’t matter” perspective, to “every action can have a lasting effect”, we can begin to feel a life of connectedness. Life becomes meaningful as we approach each day adding a sense of purpose to the mundane. We begin to realize that we all have a part to play in each other’s lives and of the earth with which we live. I believe that if we shape our views to that of a reciprocal current, we can restore meaning to our lives and perhaps begin to come from a place of authentic caring and empathy.
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This morning as I walk, alternating between appreciating the beauty and vastness of our mother and scanning for plastic on the beach, it begins to rain. It’s June in San Diego County and it is raining! The rain whispers the reminder that anything can happen. “Remain inspired”, it says, “and remember that life is full of surprises, even awe.” That walk inspired me to remind you as well. A message from the rain that came out of nowhere to show up and act from your heart, knowing that it counts. It would be a shame not to listen.
As I walk with garbage in one hand, warm coffee in the other (and totally unprepared for rain), I smile with the delight of being given a gift of reciprocity. As if the earth felt me decluttering her skin, a June rain appeared as a sign of her feeling my participation and care. It may sound out there, but this is the world that I live in, and it’s beautiful.
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