Daily Nourishment for September 22, 2024: Give Your Attention to the Natural World to Discover What You Need to Remember Today
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
Blue poured into summer blue,
A hawk broke from his cloudless tower,
The roof of the silo blazed, and I knew
That part of my life was over.
- Stanley Kunitz
Pause.
Take deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while reading “End of Summer” by Stanley Kunitz.
Then walk outside and give your attention to the natural world around you.
Prompt.
I first noticed green acorns in August 2020 after my dad died.
At the time, I was in the habit of walking down and back on the street behind our home. In this season of intense grief, I only had the mental energy to walk in a straight line for several blocks, then turn around and return to where I came from.
Because I walked up and down the same street repeatedly, sometimes multiple times each day, I saw many things I hadn’t seen before.
A quick Google search told me that the oaks near my house were stressed because they were dropping acorns earlier than usual. The early acorns from anxious trees are a beautiful mossy lime green.
I picked up a few green acorns while walking on a Memphis trail this morning. I have them sitting on the table during my work and writing session at a local coffee shop to remind me that we are connected to the natural world.
I still wonder whose stress came first—ours or the trees’?
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and take notes or journal in response to the Pause and Prompt above or the questions below.
- What do you want to notice on this first day of fall?
- What do you want to remember about the summer that has come to a close?
- What do the trees and other natural elements near your home tell you about yourself and the world around you?
- What reminders does the natural world hold for you and your creative practice today?
If you like, use your notes or journal entry to write a new poem, story, essay, or letter to a friend in the coming days.
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Workshops, Gatherings, & Resources
—New Resource: Parenting with Art® Lectio Divina Cards Information about ordering these cards can be found in my Books + Spiritual Direction + Retreats & Gatherings email newsletter that went out last night. To stay in the loop on all of my work, writing, book recs, and more, subscribe to that weekly newsletter at charlottedonlon.com/subscribe.
—The September Co-Writing calendar is live.
—Spiritual Direction for Writers® + Enneagram for Creativity Gathering will take place on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th. You can register here. All registered participants will have access to recordings.
—The Great Belonging Project is live here and The Great Belonging Project October Refresh will take place Oct 1-Oct 31.
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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