profile

Kathy Donchak

Sunday Letter: Seeking Refuge

Published just now • 1 min read

Nature is the direct expression of the divine imagination.— John O’Donohue, Anam Cara

I believe people are naturally drawn to nature, but their instincts of how to interact in her spaces have been dulled by a culture disconnected from itself. The national park visitors who seek to “save” a wild newborn are unaware it is they who need saving.

They need guidance to observe the harmonious balance of life and death in natural communities. Uninformed human interference carries danger for us all, but we can do something to change that.

We can teach our neighbors to be curious about nature, not frightened.

To integrate with the natural places we inhabit, not dominate.

To build trust, not fences.

To see each property we own as an opportunity to preserve a small patch of earth.

To learn from the mothers of the natural world who know distance can mean safety in the wild. Their instinct to protect new life within the laws of nature can only be seen from a distance and understood through reflection.

This way of being with nature is a practice of connectedness which helps us experience the meaningful state of closeness we seek. It is an unfolding process of inner and outer trust between humans and nature.

Meaning is found when we gather moments of being that call for expression.

If you feel the call to connect with nature, heed it. Notice the wild spaces that exist everywhere and allow meaning to be revealed in time.

Be well,

Kathy

P.S. Our nature writing camp will be opening up this week for registration. The writing practice you will learn is based on connectedness in nature through sensory awareness. The meaning and lessons are yours to keep.:) Watch your email for an invitation to join this week. Camp dates: July 3 - 31, 2023.

Kathy Donchak

Writer

I am a wife, mom, and nature lover living in the Pacific Northwest. My writing represents the intersection of my interests in nature, creativity, parenting, and human development.

Read more from Kathy Donchak
One Notebook

The more I journal, the more people in my life show up in its pages. This morning, Chris Brogan wrote about what happens when I tell them about it. I started writing in a journal years ago, but it wasn’t in one book. It was all over the place. My journal became so cluttered with to-do lists and work projects, I grew frustrated that I couldn’t keep my thoughts organized. During the pandemic, I tried something new. I gave myself permission to let all of my thinking show up in my pages, with...

23 days ago • 1 min read

I am learning Telugu. /ˈtel.ə.ɡuː/. I met a beautiful, bright, and curious seven-year-old girl that lives across the street, who was bursting at the seams to tell me all the words she knows from her native language. She shared how hard it was to move away from friends, and why she cannot write in Telugu yet, by swirling her finger through the air. I asked her how to say neighbor in Telugu, but she didn’t know that word yet, so I looked it up when I came inside. Hopefully one of my readers can...

30 days ago • 1 min read

“Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye... it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.” ~ Edvard Munch Being immersed in a forest for the past few weeks has me thinking about the connection between biodiversity and neurodiversity. We have been noticing things. The colonies of trees and the soft carpet of mosses, from far away, look the same, but getting closer reveals an understory. A diverse ecosystem of plants living harmoniously, supporting the growth of one another. For...

3 months ago • 1 min read
Share this post