Numerous butterflies visited our garden yesterday as we weeded our backyard plot and prepared to plant tomatoes and cucumbers and herbs and flowers. One or two Monarchs visited the milkweed plants already a foot tall near the garage. An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail dipped down on the lilac bush and quickly flew away. A Black Swallowtail flitted around the wild dill plants sprouting everywhere. An abundance of Painted Lady butterflies circled the lilac bush, and occasionally landed right on us.
Butterflies have always inspired in me a sense of wonder and awe. Iām particularly drawn to the story of the Monarch butterfly and its fascinating migration and life cycle. When my children were little, we enjoyed collecting their eggs and watching the life cycle as part of our learning. I wrote a bit about that on my blog ten years ago. (Side note: ten years ago!?!?) The post is āButterfly Farmers.ā The post links to some information about Monarch butterflies, if youāre interested. I also highly recommend the book Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration by Sarah Dykman. Itās a great read if youāre interested in either butterflies or outdoor adventure stories. You can find out more about the book and about butterflies and Dykmanās website: https://www.beyondabook.org/.
***
The vibrance of the butterflies and the various stalks and sprouts and blooms and the plants and seeds we were about to sow - they all got me thinking about healthy ecosystems. I remember learning and teaching that the three basic needs of plants are light, air, and water. Good soil too, I thought. A google search yielded a graphic with five basic needs: light, air, water, nutrients, space to grow.
It made me think about thriving environments for all living beings. What do we humans need to live? On the basic level, we think immediately of food, water, air, and shelter. We can look at Maslowās Hierarchy of Needs, illustrated below:
Thereās lots to ponder. The more Iāve lived and learned, the more I see that the middle tier āLove and Belongingā is of utmost importance. It seems like every podcast I hear lately mentions the importance of community and social connection for both mental and physical well-being. And yet we live in a culture and a society that prioritizes "going it alone,ā and not needing help (ārugged individualismā), and āthe grindā and productivity, and competition over connection.
Some people have to spend so much of their time working to meet their basic needs - āphysiological needsā and āsafety and securityā on the pyramid - that they donāt have the capacity to focus on other needs. And also there are so many people both in our local communities and in our world that donāt have even their basic needs met, much less the privilege to think about things like āSelf-Actualization.ā
I have no new advice or solutions for the deep and wide problems of the world. I think many times it comes down to greed and prejudice and just plain indifference, but Iām not addressing that today.
I do think, however, if we could all focus more on the ālove and belongingā piece (over competition and consumption for example), how that might create a ripple effect and maybe alleviate some of the larger problems. Itās not that simple, I know. And itās a starting point.
***
And so the fluttering butterflies and the dirt under my fingernails and the tiny zinnia seeds, and the fresh smell of tomato plants had me thinking about lots of things.
About healthy ecosystems, about the resilience of life in all its forms, about life cycles and seasons, about growth and transformation, about basic needs and those less easy to define.
***
Whatever youāre thinking about this holiday weekend, I hope youāre finding ways to connect to nature, to awe, to wonder, and to the people around you.
Thanks for reading!
With gratitude,
Mary
P.S. Speaking of Monarch butterflies and how moved I am by their resilience and transformation, my daughter and I recently got matching Monarch butterfly tattoos.
You know so much about butterflies, Mary!!! Impressive.
And, as Sara often mentions, your photos are exquisite.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs. So classic. I wonder what it might look like if I privileged love and belonging over physiological needs, safety and safety and security needs? Actually if I look closely and think about it deeply they are all interconnected (as everything is.)
One thing I have changed in my behavior that I think falls under the heading of love and belonging is that I endeavor to greet people with a smile and instead of the usual "how are you?" greeting, I've switched it to some version of "nice to see you" (depending if I know the person, or even how well I know that person.) I also make an attempt to learn people's names and remember them. And, when I don't remember I humbly ask for a reminder - - with one neighbor it seriously took me months and numerous times to get his name. So embarrassing. Especially since his name is Barry, which is not a common name and isn't that far off from Lori.
I'd love to think of more behaviors to focus on to bring a greater sense of love and belonging to all the folx I encounter. Curiosity is one I think about. I see and experience others using curiosity. It doesn't always feel like love and belonging. I think it has to be used quite deftly. It doesn't feel quite natural to me to employee broadly, if that makes sense.
Maybe you and other readers will have ideas to share! :-)
Love it! <3