The GRATITUDE of Redwoods
Allow gratitude to turn what you have into enough.
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Gratitude of Redwoods
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My diva taught me to practice brinksmanship—not meditation. She was more about self-preservation than self-compassion.
The Most Important Question To Ask When You Feel Down Like fire, gratitude is a tool. It improves your brain chemistry, which you need to stay fit for caregiving. You know what the antidepressant Wellbutrin does? Boosts the neurotransmitter dopamine. So does gratitude. Know what Prozac does? Boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin. So does gratitude2. Gratitude fights anxiety and fear.
Just asking the question, ‘What am I grateful for?' does it.
Even on the day caregiving punches you in the belly and it feels like there’s nothing for which to be grateful. No worries. Doesn’t matter. You don’t have to find anything. It’s the search that counts. It’s about remembering to look in the first place. The communities of redwoods agree.
Gratitude is a superpower.
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Gratitude of Redwoods
What is enough to a redwood tree? Redwoods are giants and appear to be independent—doing it all on their own. Their true strength is dirtier and deeper.
Their comparatively shallow root system extends outward to others, forming a network of redwoods that share resources. Since the Jurassic era, they have been weathering fire, drought, floods, and storms as an interconnected community.
How is it possible they share widely, and yet are fed more…and better? In the mud of caregiving, below ground forest ecology is relevant. New studies show the interconnections of organisms living in the soil help trees acquire nutrients and water. The exchange of carbon and nitrogen goes back and forth between individual trees—even, in some cases, trees of different species.
They may have less to show for it above ground, but the root systems of pre-plow prairies were even more robust. Their roots were so connected that they could be seen as one plant across thousands of native grassland miles.
These interconnected underground systems were not about appearance, but resilience and regeneration. These are fungal phone networks of underground communication—with their ancestors and their progeny.
They are wildly connected in mystery and miracle. So are we. Gratitude is a superpower for wherever (and when-ever) you are. You decide whether the glass is half-empty or half-full (but drink it with close friends). Laugh until you Cackle. Allow gratitude to turn what you have into enough.
The Most Important Question To Ask When You Feel Down Like fire, gratitude is a tool. It improves your brain chemistry, which you need to stay fit for caregiving. You know what the antidepressant Wellbutrin does? Boosts the neurotransmitter dopamine. So does gratitude. Know what Prozac does? Boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin. So does gratitude2. Gratitude fights anxiety and fear.
Just asking the question, ‘What am I grateful for?' does it.
Even on the day caregiving punches you in the belly and it feels like there’s nothing for which to be grateful. No worries. Doesn’t matter. You don’t have to find anything. It’s the search that counts. It’s about remembering to look in the first place. The communities of redwoods agree.
Gratitude is a superpower.
* * *
Gratitude of Redwoods
What is enough to a redwood tree? Redwoods are giants and appear to be independent—doing it all on their own. Their true strength is dirtier and deeper.
Their comparatively shallow root system extends outward to others, forming a network of redwoods that share resources. Since the Jurassic era, they have been weathering fire, drought, floods, and storms as an interconnected community.
How is it possible they share widely, and yet are fed more…and better? In the mud of caregiving, below ground forest ecology is relevant. New studies show the interconnections of organisms living in the soil help trees acquire nutrients and water. The exchange of carbon and nitrogen goes back and forth between individual trees—even, in some cases, trees of different species.
They may have less to show for it above ground, but the root systems of pre-plow prairies were even more robust. Their roots were so connected that they could be seen as one plant across thousands of native grassland miles.
These interconnected underground systems were not about appearance, but resilience and regeneration. These are fungal phone networks of underground communication—with their ancestors and their progeny.
They are wildly connected in mystery and miracle. So are we. Gratitude is a superpower for wherever (and when-ever) you are. You decide whether the glass is half-empty or half-full (but drink it with close friends). Laugh until you Cackle. Allow gratitude to turn what you have into enough.
"I read it all night. It was funny and useful." - A.W.
