So many poignant sentences in this piece, Miranda. It’s beautiful and thought-provoking and happy-making. I’m so glad you found your way back to nature, “organically,” as it were.
This line struck me in particular, because it feels true in some ways of adulting in general. Why do we lose the magic once we have bills to pay?
“I was trained to actively detach from magic and adopt objectivity instead; that detachment was an essential part of the scientific process and the only way to an objective truth.”
I agree, Amy. I sometimes think we measure our worth as adults in our distance from magic and our proximity to the ruthlessly practical. As kids we were constantly told to "grow up" and I was desperate to one day FEEL grown up. I think I've slipped past that desire without ever achieving it. Now, I love rediscovering my love of silliness where once I would have rolled my eyes at it.
Haha! I could easily spend twice as long agonising about how to "encourage conversation" as I do writing an article, Leanne. This time, I just thought "fuckit". I'm pleased you enjoyed the post too. 😉
Oh wow. What to say. I loved every word. It made me laugh out loud. It made me sad. It made me feel wonder and joy. I’m here for magic beans every day of the week 🫘🫘🫛
Thank you so much for your kind words, Susie. I'm truly happy that my story resonated with you. It's amazing how something as small as a bean can reignite a sense of wonder and connection with nature. Here’s to finding our magic beans and embracing the magic of the natural world.
This resonates with me, although my path has been different. Why does our society and education system do this? I think we need more forest schools and a hutting culture as in Scandinavia. They seem better at connecting people to the natural world. They also have much more open access to land, as has been formalised in Scotland. England and Wales need a radical change to access legislation.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Felicity. I totally agree that we need to shift our education and cultural priorities to better connect people to the natural world. It's a shame that access to nature is so limited in England and Wales, but you're right - radical change is needed! Perhaps we can learn from places like Scandinavia where the connection to nature is more ingrained in society.
I’m curious to hear more about your path. What has your journey been like in trying to reconnect with nature? Do you have any specific ideas on how to promote a greater connection to the natural world in our culture?
I don't ever remember believing in Father Christmas – in my earliest memories of Christmas I'm playing along with the adults' charade and not revealing my disbelief. In my childhood my parents often took us walking and we had a garden to play in. I was lucky that our home was relatively rural, unlucky that my mother was a great worrier and barely let me out of her sight. But I managed to find a hidden spot to create fire on my own by striking flints together and cunningly disguised my wet socks when I came home from playing in the stream (which was on the common where I wasn't allowed to go).
Places always made more of an impression on me than people and, by the time I was adult, walking in nature – usually on my own – had become my great solace and escape. It was where I would turn if work or my love life was proving difficult. But it was only after 16 years of stifling office life that I quit to become a freelance outdoor writer and photographer. Over the years since I've managed to scrape a frugal living doing what I enjoy. However, my output has revolved around work that earns an income (latterly mainly walks guidebooks and travel features) rather than exploring subjects more deeply, as I would like to do.
After initial scepticism (through ignorance), I've been drawn to Substack as a place where I can do that 'other' writing. For myself and, I hope, for an audience of like minds. And perhaps even find an alternative to those other paying gigs, a way to sustain myself while seeking truth and beauty.
This sound very similar to my experience, Felicity. It's lovely to meet a kindred sprit and one who also relies on nature for solace and sanity as well as beauty. I'm hoping to use Substack in a similar way to you. Still feeling my way through exactly what I want it to be. I'm already finding much more personal stuff emerging than I'd expected when I was being all strategic about it. Most of my planned posts as still sitting in draft format while the stuff that needed to emerge without my even knowing it are bubbling up for my attention. I'm definitely feeling the need for more nature words.
That's interesting to hear. I'm still at the stage of figuring out what I want my publication to be. Good to think that it may have a life of its own like yours.
Yay! Thumbsuckers Anon R Us. I'm still not sure I claim to be very good at spotting the difference. But I'm certainly less ready to put up with arseholes or accept their abuse.
And you're VERY good at getting arseholes to bugger off without you having to do that thing where you make excuses and slip out sideways, Rosanna. Your piece about your bad date was a masterclass!
Oh this article is MAGIC, let me tell you! What a journey. I resonated deeply with the sensitive, intuitive and curious little Miranda who was shamed. Och, what a wonder of an article. And beautiful photos too. It puts me in mind of the Blake poem:
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.”
Oh Miranda - this is perfection ❤️ It’s so frighteningly easy to loose a sense of wonder and joy in something we love, but so often it can be re found. I’m so glad that your magic beans helped you to do just that.
What I didn't say, is that my beanstalk is currently lying in a heap on the patio outside the studio. I lifted the whole wigwam out of the ground when they'd stopped producing and haven't quite got around to composting it. I hope I haven't ruined the magic by telling you that ...?
What a journey! Beautiful that you continue to seek the magic through all the twists and turns. This idea of knowing too much and thereby disconnecting from the original lure - I think is the story of many adult careers. Conversely, I don’t knowing too much HAS to mean a loss of magic, but it does take active effort to see both the fuzzy feeling and the sharply delineated hard facts - like switching focus between the foreground and the background of a scene.
I love that analogy, Vanessa. Choosing to switch focus is a really good way to put it. And I agree. I don't think we have to lose the magic when we know too much, but it takes conscious work to maintain it. Like anything worthwhile.
So many poignant sentences in this piece, Miranda. It’s beautiful and thought-provoking and happy-making. I’m so glad you found your way back to nature, “organically,” as it were.
This line struck me in particular, because it feels true in some ways of adulting in general. Why do we lose the magic once we have bills to pay?
“I was trained to actively detach from magic and adopt objectivity instead; that detachment was an essential part of the scientific process and the only way to an objective truth.”
I agree, Amy. I sometimes think we measure our worth as adults in our distance from magic and our proximity to the ruthlessly practical. As kids we were constantly told to "grow up" and I was desperate to one day FEEL grown up. I think I've slipped past that desire without ever achieving it. Now, I love rediscovering my love of silliness where once I would have rolled my eyes at it.
I think your non-resonant non-question has worked. I’m a smidge jealous! This was beautiful to read. Thank you for this magical bean of a post!
Haha! I could easily spend twice as long agonising about how to "encourage conversation" as I do writing an article, Leanne. This time, I just thought "fuckit". I'm pleased you enjoyed the post too. 😉
Yeah the question to ask at the end always trips me up. Love how you handled it!
Oh wow. What to say. I loved every word. It made me laugh out loud. It made me sad. It made me feel wonder and joy. I’m here for magic beans every day of the week 🫘🫘🫛
Good grief... I don’t think I’ve read anything that resonates more profoundly and so beautifully...
There are so many reasons why but not least your magic bean... what a fabulous read! 🌱
Thank you so much for your kind words, Susie. I'm truly happy that my story resonated with you. It's amazing how something as small as a bean can reignite a sense of wonder and connection with nature. Here’s to finding our magic beans and embracing the magic of the natural world.
This resonates with me, although my path has been different. Why does our society and education system do this? I think we need more forest schools and a hutting culture as in Scandinavia. They seem better at connecting people to the natural world. They also have much more open access to land, as has been formalised in Scotland. England and Wales need a radical change to access legislation.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Felicity. I totally agree that we need to shift our education and cultural priorities to better connect people to the natural world. It's a shame that access to nature is so limited in England and Wales, but you're right - radical change is needed! Perhaps we can learn from places like Scandinavia where the connection to nature is more ingrained in society.
I’m curious to hear more about your path. What has your journey been like in trying to reconnect with nature? Do you have any specific ideas on how to promote a greater connection to the natural world in our culture?
I don't ever remember believing in Father Christmas – in my earliest memories of Christmas I'm playing along with the adults' charade and not revealing my disbelief. In my childhood my parents often took us walking and we had a garden to play in. I was lucky that our home was relatively rural, unlucky that my mother was a great worrier and barely let me out of her sight. But I managed to find a hidden spot to create fire on my own by striking flints together and cunningly disguised my wet socks when I came home from playing in the stream (which was on the common where I wasn't allowed to go).
Places always made more of an impression on me than people and, by the time I was adult, walking in nature – usually on my own – had become my great solace and escape. It was where I would turn if work or my love life was proving difficult. But it was only after 16 years of stifling office life that I quit to become a freelance outdoor writer and photographer. Over the years since I've managed to scrape a frugal living doing what I enjoy. However, my output has revolved around work that earns an income (latterly mainly walks guidebooks and travel features) rather than exploring subjects more deeply, as I would like to do.
After initial scepticism (through ignorance), I've been drawn to Substack as a place where I can do that 'other' writing. For myself and, I hope, for an audience of like minds. And perhaps even find an alternative to those other paying gigs, a way to sustain myself while seeking truth and beauty.
This sound very similar to my experience, Felicity. It's lovely to meet a kindred sprit and one who also relies on nature for solace and sanity as well as beauty. I'm hoping to use Substack in a similar way to you. Still feeling my way through exactly what I want it to be. I'm already finding much more personal stuff emerging than I'd expected when I was being all strategic about it. Most of my planned posts as still sitting in draft format while the stuff that needed to emerge without my even knowing it are bubbling up for my attention. I'm definitely feeling the need for more nature words.
That's interesting to hear. I'm still at the stage of figuring out what I want my publication to be. Good to think that it may have a life of its own like yours.
🎄
Also a late thumbsucker! And I still don't think I can discern between trustworthy people and the rest so that is quite impressive :)
Yay! Thumbsuckers Anon R Us. I'm still not sure I claim to be very good at spotting the difference. But I'm certainly less ready to put up with arseholes or accept their abuse.
And you're VERY good at getting arseholes to bugger off without you having to do that thing where you make excuses and slip out sideways, Rosanna. Your piece about your bad date was a masterclass!
thanks Miranda. I do think there's a lot in this subject, and what nature can teach us etc. Definitely something I'm personally curious about.
Oh this article is MAGIC, let me tell you! What a journey. I resonated deeply with the sensitive, intuitive and curious little Miranda who was shamed. Och, what a wonder of an article. And beautiful photos too. It puts me in mind of the Blake poem:
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.”
Loved, loved, loved this.
Oh, I love that poem! Thank you, Suzy. ❤️
Oh Miranda - this is perfection ❤️ It’s so frighteningly easy to loose a sense of wonder and joy in something we love, but so often it can be re found. I’m so glad that your magic beans helped you to do just that.
What I didn't say, is that my beanstalk is currently lying in a heap on the patio outside the studio. I lifted the whole wigwam out of the ground when they'd stopped producing and haven't quite got around to composting it. I hope I haven't ruined the magic by telling you that ...?
What a journey! Beautiful that you continue to seek the magic through all the twists and turns. This idea of knowing too much and thereby disconnecting from the original lure - I think is the story of many adult careers. Conversely, I don’t knowing too much HAS to mean a loss of magic, but it does take active effort to see both the fuzzy feeling and the sharply delineated hard facts - like switching focus between the foreground and the background of a scene.
I love that analogy, Vanessa. Choosing to switch focus is a really good way to put it. And I agree. I don't think we have to lose the magic when we know too much, but it takes conscious work to maintain it. Like anything worthwhile.
This is fascinating Miranda! What a journey through nature, art, science and magic! I love your careful balance of pragmatism and wonder xx
Oooh, I might save that little nugget, Nanette "careful balance of pragmatism and wonder". Thank you, my lovely. xx
Thank you, Emily! It’s so lovely to have you here. Thank you for taking time out of your Sunday to read and restack. You’ve really made my day. ❤️
Funny how teachers can make and break us! And totally with you on the amazingness of seeds!