As the election rhetoric ramps up and the world burns, tumbles, and spins so fast, I know we are all searching for something—maybe grounding, balance, or just a moment of peace.
While I don’t have the answers (and I’d be wary of anyone who says they do), I have learned what grounds me and brings me back to the Earth beneath my feet.
It’s always the small things.
Offering a smile that feels true.
Making eye contact that lingers.
Helping a caterpillar find its way across the road.
Picking up a piece of stray trash.
Just as the outer world mirrors the inner, our small micro worlds make up the whole.
Kindness, presence, and good intentions—each one adds up.
So, if you can’t change the big, terrible things that break your heart, know this: you can still create a ripple in your own small world.
And maybe, turn off the news for a while.
xo,
Natalie
Transcript from above:
Shrew
Yesterday, I watched a little shrew near the hosta bed. He had settled into his new home, moving with a quiet sense of purpose, completely absorbed in his small but vital work.
There was a contentment about him, a peace in the rhythm of his life as if he understood his place in the world better than most of us ever will.
Later, I found him still, lying just outside his new home, no sign of struggle or harm.
It was as if he had simply stopped, overwhelmed not by fear or pain, but by the joy of just being.
I laid flowers on him, whispered a prayer, and felt the deep connection we all share.
We are bound to one another, part of the same earth family. His life, no matter how brief or quiet, mattered.
My deepest wish in this world for everyone is a coming home to ourselves. The knowing that every creature, no matter how small, has its place, and that our paths are all intertwined and everything is sacred.
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