A few days ago, I was sitting on a driftwood log at the edge of Puget Sound watching a pair of seals snorting and slapping the water with their flippers. I was next to a large clump of gumweed, a type of aster with bright yellow flowers and it wasn't long before a quiet, but busy activity around the gumweed called my attention away from the raucous activity of the seals.
Hearing Quieter Voices
I saw a bee buzzing from flower to flower and looked closer to try to figure out what type it was. As I watched, I began to see that the single bee I saw had a lot of company. The flowers were a center of activity for all sorts of bees, wasps, and hover flies.
I tried to take pictures of all the different kinds, but some were so fast and tiny, that I could barely see them before they were off to another flower. All were so intent on the flowers that they didn't seem to notice me or my camera.
Looking closely, I saw that some had bright orange pollen sacs on their legs; some had yellow legs, colored by the pollen trapped on their hairy legs. Some had orange stripes; some had yellow; some even had blue stripes. Some were round-bodied; others were long and lean. Some were segmented, others weren't.
Some would stay a long time at each flower, intent on getting every last bit of nectar from the flower. Others only touched briefly before flying to the next blossom.
By giving my attention to these quieter voices, I learned a little about the value of this gumweed plant that has "weed" embedded in its name. I also learned a little about the tiny creatures that use it as a food supply. Because of my observations, I look at the gumweed differently now; if I ever thought about eliminating it from the beach, I would now know the loss it would cause for a large group of pollinators.
This type of attention helps us better understand other creatures and can lead us to take them into account in the small and large decisions we make. It can help determine what we leave and what we take out.
Making Room for More Voices
Uphill from the beach where I saw the gumweed, I am in the process of pulling out English ivy that blankets the back side of the property. The ivy has climbed up the Douglas fir and madrones and covers the ground so thickly that native plants and the creatures that would accompany them struggle to thrive on the hillside.
As I pull the long roots of the ivy from the ground, I unearth chunks of half-rotted wood and envision the wild huckleberry bushes that could sprout from that wood. I discover small snowberry plants that seem to be waiting for a chance at sunlight. I uncover the native blackberry vines that are so often overshadowed by the more robust and non-native Himalayan blackberry. As I work, and rest, and listen, I become more aware of the voices (both heard and unheard) that are all around me.
A Prayer for Today
The prayer below is one from the Laudato Si' movement inspired by Pope Francis and can be found on the Laudato Si' Movement website. It voices a yearning to be better listeners, and is a prayer than can shape the way we are in the world today—by listening to the "voices of the little ones...the voice of your Creation."
It is through this type of stopping and listening that our decisions and actions can become wiser and better and more complete responses to the suffering and beauty of the world.
Prayer to Stop and Listen
Lord,
our lives are full of noise and never-ending activities.
Too often, we want to “keep doing” and never stop.
Too often, we want to speak and never listen.
Help us, so that we may take the time to stop,
Help us to open our eyes, our ears,
So that we can see what matters without being distracted by the latest news,
So that we can explore the complexity of this world without following the first “good solution” stated by the ones who speak the loudest.
So that we can hear the voices nobody wants to hear, the voices of the little ones, the humble ones, the forgotten ones, the voice of your Creation.
Help us, so that we can open our hearts to turn what is happening to the Earth into our own personal suffering.
May we speak against what should be denounced
May we open a dialogue where everyone has a space to express themselves.
Support us, so that we dare take the risk to give to the world what lies deep inside us and is our own personal contribution.
Guide us, so that we may open paths
where we can walk together
and share the light you give us.
Help us to stop and listen, so that we may hear the gentle sound of the seed
that grows in the soil
without anyone being aware of it, except you,
and becomes a seed of hope each day.
Amen.
Anne Doutriaux, France Programs Coordinator, Lent Europe 2024
How do you make time to stop and listen? Are there places or practices that help you to do this?
Feel free to leave a comment below (you can sign in through your email) or contact me directly at louise.conner@circlewood.online.
Louise
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