Nature is my favorite place to go; in life,and in my brain. I am obsessed with the notion that trees are our ancestors.
Trees don't ever stop trying to thrive. And they are strong. The winds of change always blowing around the branches, but never budging the stalk. Only the strike of lightning or blade of man seem to move an arborious forefather. Not even fire will decimate a forest, in fact fire is only an exfoliant that tends to stimulate regrowth.
Shade and shelter are important. Without even being moved, the forest provides all of us, flora and fauna alike, with a sanctuary from the heat of the beautiful sun. This is doubly important for those like me whose melanin gene is mutated and don't tan.
The soil of the Earth. Another most under appreciated gift.
Providing food for the entire planet. Holding back the liquid fire below. Giving us human parasites something soft to lay on and to till and harvest. Many people do not appreciate the taste of dirt. Or at least wouldn't like the notion of thinking about it like that, much less admitting to it.
But I do.
A baked potato; a glass of dark wine. The taste of homegrown tomatoes. An unfettered shot of vodka. The smell of the air, right before the rain. The musty thick presence under the canopy of a spring laden forest. The essence of a freshly tilled field ready for sewing seeds. The smell of growing up and growing old on the Mississippi River.
Missourians have a culture of hunting, fishing, and eating what was provided by such. There is also a long culture of subsistence farming, as well as dairy. The presence of the Amish/Dutch history here is important, even though the number of Missouri cattle is decreasing.
People here just love nature. Because Missourians have a tumultuous history. Being split in half before the Civil War, it was a slave and free state. After the war, there were a lot of grudges, and no 'north and south' lines drawn in the sand. When they teach you in school that brothers took up arms against brothers, this is no exaggeration. Naturally after the war ended, it was hard for Missouri to reconcile its communities. Rather than face judgement, and to avoid crossing paths, many Missourians escaped into the depths of the forgiving forest.
Families struggled here, adapted, and learned to fish and hunt. Missourians also became rough, blunt, people. It is called the Show Me state because of the notion of not just believing everything you hear. Rumors could start family wars. People lost children. Parents. Grandparents. I have spent many hours trail hiking, trespassing, trekking through unknown woods, discovering niche after niche of nature and history. The number of unmarked private family cemeteries I have discovered is a number higher than you would think.
Missourians also care a lot about conservation. As a child my grandfather taught me about birds, how to camp the best way so as not to disturb the habitat so we can continue to appreciate it. He taught me about the patience of fishing, and how to do the right thing. It's not uncommon here to see professional fishermen. It's not uncommon to see women hunting and fishing.
You see there is something about nature that abides. Something that wraps its loving, providing arms around us and provides us with everything we need to thrive. If anyone ever tells you that you can't live without money, just tell them to ask a smart-assed Missourian. We will set them straight real quick. There's no money here. There's hardly enough jobs for everyone who wants to work. The notion of working your ass off for next to nothing is a real thing here.
But so is a pan of hot biscuits and a pile of fried potatoes and onions, or scallions pulled straight out of the backyard, mixed with scrambled eggs. Or a plate full of squirrel nuggets or wine soaked venison steaks. A handful of deep-fried wild Morel mushrooms. A slab of hickory smoked brisket. A sliced homegrown tomato and mayo sandwich. Or just eating a tomato straight out of the garden, like an apple, sprinkled with salt and pepper. Yummmm.
It was not uncommon when we were kids for the whole family to go catfishing, then have a massive fish fry afterward, with fish, potatoes, hush puppies, homemade slaw, aioli and malt vinegar. Macaroni with homegrown stewed tomatoes and ground pepper. When we would camp we would cook fish on a rock in the fire. I could go on for hours talking about food, lol.
The point is living off the land was something our ancestors learned out of necessity, but after handing it down generation after generation it is now about fun, about enjoying your family and the world around you. It is more so an act of love and provision for Missourians than a lot of other places in America. Nature is something I wish more people would appreciate.
Nature is a good way to teach our children about death and how it is an essential part of the circle of life.
Nature is predictable.
You can depend on nature. It will find stasis whatever way it can, whether it takes a storm, forest fire, or an ice age, nature abides. When you see a stream, you know its motivation. It doesn't flow backwards just to 'one-up' you.
A wolf with a broken paw is an utterly beautiful thing. Because you know that wolf hurt his paw hunting for food or defending his pack, not because someone got mad and wanted revenge. There is comfort in that. A dependability most people take for granted.
Money is stupid, and people even more so. There is a truth to nature you will never find among humans.
At least that's my perspective. Thanks for reading. <3
