[Speaking of dandelions] They are little beacons of the it'll be okay, and if they had a soundtrack, it would be "O-o-o Child."
Ross Gay from his essay "Truly Overnight Sometimes It Seems"
I had a plan today to get back to Six Mile Cypress Slough, somewhere I haven't been since May, and decided I would go despite the 92% humidity. Right before I left, I read the Ross Gay essay noted above and I immediately knew I had a purpose: find plants that are singing a song.
Entering the slough, I felt an incredible amount of energy. I haven't been walking enough, so this felt like a real treat. Yes, it was muggy, but nothing I couldn't handle after living here for 26 years.
A Red Maple tree was the first to show up with a song:
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last your whole life long...
I walked deeper into the slough, and the next to sing out to me were a collection of Resurrection Ferns growing on the side of a Cypress tree. They were singing:
We are family
I've got all my sisters with me...
I walked the rest of the slough, 1.3 miles in all, and got back to my car dripping with sweat. I was feeling super inspired by this trip, and on the way home, I started thinking about the songs that were showing up. And that's when I realized there was a clear connection between them.
Next, I thought about the Carpenters' "Sing a Song." Not one I often think about, and when I do, I recall my brother Richie's 4th grade class singing it at his funeral in 1975.
Finally, "We are Family" of which I have no real personal connection. However, I remembered my friend Melody telling me that when she got together with her three sisters, they would sing this song. Sadly, Melody's sister Beth made her transition this past week.
Then I knew what was happening. Jim, Richie, and Beth are our angels and ancestors. They are always with us and as a reminder, sometimes nature sings their songs.
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