Let’s talk about nature relatedness instead
Book tour things | the limits of ‘nature connection’ | what’s happening next
If you follow me on social media, you might already have seen me say that last week felt life-changing. But it bears repeating here even if I am prone to hyperbole. Of course, it might just be because I inhabit such a small, rural life here in Derbyshire that any trip out of county feels adventurous. It might also be because I rarely see so many people in one go these days that speaking to, and in some cases meeting, hundreds of new people who had invested their pennies in coming to listen to me talk about my new book, felt – still feels – extraordinary.
Or it might be because it genuinely was special, different, and exhilarating. It genuinely was like nothing I have ever done before. It genuinely did expand my capability and enlarge my horizon. Hell, I even got to try a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer*
Most of us don’t live public lives do we? I certainly don’t. I just do what I do in my own multitude of small ways and ask myself for that to be enough. Book tour though is a fleeting and light-touch incursion into my private realm. Albeit, a delicious one. Where I have been ensconced in private outdoor and online spheres for so long, it is proving utterly beguiling to meet people in real life as we’re so accustomed (depressingly so) to saying now. Strangers. Potential friends. Ships in the night. Not to mention the creative upwelling of being suddenly among so many new people with shared interests, trading ideas. I can’t believe how many people came up to me in signing queues to say ‘I am a geologist and I love this!’.
For the briefest of times last week I felt a tantalising glimpse of what it must be like to be a jet-set person. A public person. A well-known person. Travelling with Juno by my side from place to place, hotel to hotel, always being received with such care and warmth, signing books, put into the centre of things…I could easily see how addictive this could all become were I a person with a big, famous book and a different temperament. By the end of day one I was wracked with nerves, but I also knew I would miss it once it was over. Somehow though it was all perfectly proportioned for me, and a great run up to the coming months when events will get a little more spread out.
And I’m glad for that, I’m being careful with my calendar – I have other work to get back on with!
A quick thought on ‘nature relatedness’
One theme I found myself returning to time and again on tour last week, was relatedness. More specifically, nature relatedness. By the time I was writing Grounded back in 2020, I was already moving on from the idea of ‘nature connection’ (despite it being the book’s subtitle) feeling it to be an insufficient concept for what I was really reaching for in my personal life, my professional therapeutic work and my formulation and articulation of both. In the pages of my first book, I was quick to bring up the topic of ‘relationship’ as a better way of thinking about this construct of nature connection (NC), and I have taken that idea further still in Weathering. Which is really what it’s all about. I still use the term ‘Nature connection’ because it certainly describes an important way in to relatedness, and it’s a useful, interchangeable short-hand for certain audiences, but by and large I feel the way it’s been commandeered by certain parts of the media and wellness industry has only served to deaden its deep heart to a transaction.
But I want to get back to the true pulse of things.
This is why I prefer the term relatedness. There is simply no getting away from the big hint toward relationship. While we may associate ‘connection’ with plugs and cables and the corollary to wiring (see metaphor to brain rewiring), the term relationship has no obvious other analogy or metaphor to get lost in. When we think of ‘relationship’ we think of those that are good, those that are troubled, those that are disappearing, those that need a new investment. When we think of relationship we can’t help but bring to mind effort, commitment, patience, compassion, depth, possibility, sharing, love and so on. Nature relatedness is for me what ‘connection’ is all about and what we could usefully be reorienting towards. It’s about making that meaningful investment of time and effort into the living world not because it will improve only our health, but because good relationships are beneficial to all parties. More importantly I think, good relationships are what make life worth living for their own sake.
Several people remarked last week that they loved my passion, one even recognised that I must have invested a lot of time in this relationship building, and she was right. Good relationships take work. They are worth fighting for. My passion comes from a lifetime apprenticed to this relationship with the natural world – whatever the weather, whatever the mood, whatever else is going on. Relationship isn’t a luxury – it’s a choice and a responsibility. Sometimes we have to forgo other things to prioritise the relationships that matter. They are a work of a lifetime, not just 10 minutes here and there. I’m still learning how to be good at relationships, to fulfil my commitment to the other – maybe I’ll never work it out entirely (I’m a selfish creature) – but perhaps the point is that we keep trying, keep investing, keep offering ourselves to the world and beings that we love. This is where mutual healing happens, this is where joy resides.
Some things coming up:
Ecosomatics Conversation w/ Royal Birmingham Conservatoire & Birmingham Dance Network - This session takes place today April 25th Online at 4pm GMT+0. But if you’re quick you may be able to grab a free ticket. In this conversation we’ll be exploring ecosomatics as a form of embodied nature connection (relatedness) and how this is a practice for all, not just for ‘experts’. We’ll also be talking about how ecosomatics can ground us towards a sense of place even if we’re nomadic.
The Wayward Lit Festival, Falmouth - I’ll be in Cornwall on Saturday 4th May talking about Weathering for a new literature festival that is looking to elevate wild and new ideas. I’d love to see you again in the SW if you’re around?
The Grounded Pilgrim Retreat - The Pilgrim Trust x Vivobarefoot - Hot off the back of Wayward fest I’ll be heading north to Yorkshire for Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th May to co-facilitate a rather wonderful retreat for modern pilgrims where we will be learning to relate to the ground beneath our feet through our whole bodies - moving, listening, contemplating.
*having thought about that hairdryer all week, I decided to buy my own and found a bargain on Ebay. It was more than a superficial act. It was one of self-reclamation; a new era for me and my full mane. Hashtag because I’m worth it.
I’m glad that the beginnings of your book tour have been so exciting and illuminating. And yes I completely agree, thank you for providing this suggestion of relatedness. When describing beautiful, brilliant people that I have found here, the word ‘connection’ feels too perfunctory and superficial — relationship speaks much more to the layers of interaction and depth of feeling. And I absolutely feel that way about communing with the living world too xx
I resonate with so much of this, Ruth. Thank you for sharing it all.