#Earthschooling365: Day Sixty
Inner Work Meditation (Heart): Today I saw a Downy Woodpecker. There is a picture of him below. He is not just a “bird” or just a “woodpecker” he is a Downy Woodpecker. This is his name. Take some time today to consider using more specifics in your speech and how this might help you in your relationships with people and nature. The more specific we are about something, the more time we take to think about it and the more respect we have for it. For example, it is very easy to say a friend/family member/child/co-worker is “difficult” or to take it even a step farther and say “they have anger issues” but it is even more rewarding, affirming and helpful to be even more specific and pinpoint what exactly the issue is. For example, “that person tends to hit their desk when they are frustrated with their work.” This is very specific and a lot more helpful. What does it tell us? It tells us that this person is not always angry, that there is one specific thing that triggers a reaction and that they tend to react towards inanimate objects and not people. Take some time this morning to think about a challenge or issue you are dealing with or something you are working on with yourself or another person and describe it in as much detail as possible.
Nature Walk Idea (Head): Today I saw some Downy Woodpeckers mating. You can see how the male (below) fluffs up his wings and displays himself to the female. They then hop around each other on a tree trunk for a while and play back and forth. It was very fun to watch. I did not originally know the name of this woodpecker, however. I knew it was not simply a “bird” and I did know it was a woodpecker. But which kind? We have so many! There are Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and Hairy Woodpeckers. Today your assignment is to specifically identify a kind of bird in your area that is usually referred to “in general”. Some common examples in our area are finches (we have many kinds but we people just call them finches), sparrows (once again there are different kinds), woodpeckers (see above) or hawks. It is important to be as specific as possible when identifying these animals. The more specific we are the more respect we have for them as a species. If we take the time to notice what makes each woodpecker different from another and we take the time to call each woodpecker by it’s proper name something happens in our mind – we connect with that animal on a different level. It is not “just a bird” or an “object” anymore. It becomes a real living being with a real specific name. This is one of the first steps in maintaining a respectful relationship with nature and passing that respect down to the children in our world.
Photography Notes (Hands): Today your assignment is to consider another good rule of photography composition – putting your subject to the right. Because of the way our eyes work, composition is much for effective if your subject is to the right in a photo. In the photos I took today of the Downy Woodpeckers they are the subject and you will find them on the right side in each photo. To see how having them on the left side is less effective you can view the photos in a mirror.
Verse: Silly Tongue Twister Poem
Copyright Kristie Burns
Woodpeckers always make me laugh and giggle. They are the perfect subject for a silly tongue twister poem. Start by reciting this slowly and see how quickly you can recite it with some practice (without messing up the words 😉
Sally the Silly Sapsucker
Pecked to pluck a pucker
Every evening even on Easter
Found a flitting fly to feast her
*These poems have been created for many purposes – from early childhood circle time verses to inspirational or expressive. They vary from day to day so you may find the way you use them or enjoy them also varies. If you would like to set these poems to music consider our tutorial: Creating Your Ow Waldorf Verses or Finding Your Inner Voice.
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What is #Earthschooling365?
This series takes you through an entire year of our nature walks and is part of our non-profit project #Earthschooling365 at www.Earthschooling.org. The photos and posts in this series are all copyrighted. Please do not share or re-print them. Instead, share the link to this blog with your friends.
Along the way I will be sharing our favorite photo of the day, an inner work meditation for the day, photography assignment/tip for the day, nature walk theme for the day and a short verse for circle time (children) or meditation (teens/adults). We invite you to “walk along with us” this year, take some time to use the inner work meditation, be inspired by the nature walk theme of the day and perhaps even start a photo series of your own. To join the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram please tag your photos #Earthschooling365. To receive these inspirations in your e-mail inbox daily please subscribe to our blog alerts HERE. Don’t worry about missing days – you can join us as many days as you want this year!
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