Sharing our sorrows with Mother Earth and one another

“Shared joy is double joy, and shared sorrow is half sorrow.” - Swedish proverb

Yesterday morning, like most mornings, I walked through a serene public park near my apartment in San Francisco. The grass was emerald-green. A perk of cool summers in this enchanting city.

The upbeat chirps of waking birds filled the air. The trees were relaxed, yet present as always — eucalyptus, Catalina ironwood, Norfolk island, red-twig pinewood.

Through my walk in the park I carried heartache and heartbreak.

Nothing sears the heart quite like heartbreak. The loss caused by a breakup has a sting like no other.

It’s a pain I’d forgotten about. A sadness I hadn’t met for quite some time.

As I passed each tree, I silently asked: Would you please take some of my sadness? Could you please hold some of my sorrow?

In their own tree-like way, they responded yes. Part of me felt guilty, considering all my species has done to the planet. The pain and suffering we have caused to so much of Mother Earth.

At the same time, I believe this is where Mother Earth shows her true nature. She cares for us every single day of our lives. From our first breath until our last. She’s there to share in our joys. Our highest of highs. She’s there to lull us to sleep and soothe us on a sunny afternoon. There to drench us with rain when everything is parched.

My friends and family also reflected the best of nature when I shared my sorrow with them. Condolences. Words filled with warmth and consolation. Even though I didn’t have the energy or will to text back, they shared a piece of my sorrow. They took a little sliver off my plate in that moment.

Too often we separate ourselves from nature. We see the grass as “nature” and ourselves as “human”. We forget both “nature” and we humans have a tremendous capacity to care for, nurture, and share in sorrows.

It’s not a coincidence. We’re not other than the mighty pine or the fresh French lavender.

Our presence; our instinct to help carry the sorrow of others is deeply embedded in our DNA. It’s coded in us to care for one another. Despite what we see in society, and all of the violence and turmoil we see in the news, we are also creatures with a deep capacity to care.

It’s a way of being passed down from the Earth that we came out of.

Whether you’re in a place of superb joy or knee-deep in sorrow, consider both the human people and plant people all around you.

None of us has to carry sorrow or grief on our own.