Biota Forged by Fire

There is a natural energy that assumedly we all know but rarely address. It has many layers and forms a chain starting with dirt, channeling through plants and then animals eventually ending up in muscles and then completing the cycle by returning to the soil. Many variables influence this vitality and there is a litany of science behind it. At times, how nature progresses can seem random but with thought, the synchronized nutrient flow is a thing of amazement. 

As I commandeer dirt to feed my newly purchased mint seeds, I think about what sources would make the best plant home. It may seem obvious, but not all dirt is created equal. For example, one that has been flooded and untouched for years will make a healthier base than a sandy clay-laden ground. You want your bucket full of enriching nutrients which in turn will be a hearty meal for your future food or forb. 

With life, most of us have different social spheres we run in at different times and/or chapters. Your tribe by default could be your family and at the same time hopefully, you have a cornucopia of friends. Additionally, you have Barb from accounting that you occasionally grab a beer with but spend most of your waking hours around at work.  Depending on your level of extrovert, you may even have multiple different friend groups with them separately orbiting around your schedule and from time to time intersecting with one another. 

Visually I like to think about this balancing of social groups by using a metaphorical tool known as a shoulder yoke. If you're not familiar, it's worth a google and good for a random trivia answer down the road.  For centuries our early homesteaders used these to carry their buckets from the water source or crop from fields or maybe gold or maybe puppies. Options are endless. 

Sticking with the visualization, we're all communally shoulder yoking our groups using a finite amount of energy. Depending on the day and company, how we spend our time and energy may feel obligatory or it may be fulfilling. And just like the aforementioned homesteading tool, there is a balance between those two. 

The nitty-gritty of it is: the more complex your life happens to be, most likely, the more social buckets you carry. It's important to take deep breaths and think about which ones are going to provide you the most amount of moral and personal enrichment. Strive to have your surrounding people filling your bucket versus draining it. 

Just like choosing the nutrient makeup of soil for your plant children, you want the caliber of people you're surrounded by to help you grow.  Yep. 

New in my life: New Rolodex, who dis? I barter rummy lessons for snacks. Chickens, wildflowers and blues are a helluva drug. 

Keep smilin'

JM