To All the Members of the Nature Writing Community,
November 6, 2024—I imagine that this morning is not an easy one. Perhaps, like me, you are feeling sad, uncertain, hurt, scared, angry, or some mix of all that. I wish, of course, that I/we could snap our fingers and make those feelings disappear. Not possible, of course. But what I do believe is this:
As nature lovers, I think we have a special tool in our toolbox now. We can walk outside. Consider an ice crystal or a leaf or the particular way a cloud hangs in the sky. Breathe in, breathe out, and keep our gaze on the miraculous planet.
As artists, we have another tool at our disposal. Immersing ourselves in creativity—others’ and our own—is healing. We can curl up with a book, or read a poem, or write words that capture how we are feeling.
The third tool we have is community. Whether it’s the one found here in our writing program, or other communities you’ve created and nurtured, I hope you seek out those friendships that support and nurture you.
With nature, creativity, and community, we will regain equilibrium. We will find ways to keep going. This path will look different for everyone—but know that we are here for you.
There’s a lot of advice floating out there, and I thought I’d share this from the Daily Stoic:
“Whatever anyone does or says, for my part I’m bound to the good,” Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations. “In the same way an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim: ‘whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my true colors.’” Whatever happens in life, in world events, in politics, our job is our job, our duty is our duty. How does this stop you, Marcus asks elsewhere in Meditations, from acting with courage, discipline, justice and wisdom? In fact, it may well be that these election results present you with an incredible—and urgent and critical—opportunity to act with virtue.
For the wild and wild words,
Laura
LAURA PRITCHETT directs the MFA in Nature Writing at Western Colorado University. She is the author of Playing with Wildfire and many other books and lives in Bellvue, Colorado.
Thank you for the messages of the past couple of days.
Today I had to have some lab work; a blood draw. The nurse asked, "How are you?" I gritted my teeth and said, "Angry." She asked, "What are you angry at?" I looked at her sideways, my eyes squinting, and replied, "I'll tell you after you poke me." The needle went painlessly into the bend of my arm. As my blood seeped out, she said, "Tell me now." I took a breath and said, "The results of the election", exhaled, then muttered, "There, I said it."