I finally understand what they meant by 'reconnecting with nature,' and can't believe books is the one that could convince me of that. It's not the type of boring encyclopedia you might think—it's as if Aimee gives me a tale about her life with the wonders of greens and creatures as the backdrop. It's a refreshing way to relate one's personal stories and reflections through the praise of nature's details, while also encouraging me as a reader to protect it. The glares of the cassowary with its presence you can feel 'through bones,' the smile of the axolotl, the synchronicity of fireflies. Read it, and boom.
...the reason the potoo leads a motionless, mainly solitary life is to balance its audacious call. There is a time for stillness, but who hasn't also wanted to scream with delight at being outdoors? To simply announce themselves and say, I'm here, I exist?
And just like the potoo, who is rewarded for her stillness by having her lunch practically fly right to her mouth—perhaps you could try a little tranquility, find a little tenderness in your quiet. Who knows what feathered gifts await?
Listen: Boom. Can you hear that? The cassowary is still trying to tell us something. Boom. Did you see that? A single firefly is, too. Such a tiny light, for such a considerable task. Its luminescence could very well be the spark that reminds us to make a most necessary turn—a shift and a swing and a switch—toward cherishing this magnificent and wondrous planet. Boom. Boom. You might think of a heartbeat—your own. A child's. Someone else's. Or some thing's heart. And in that slowdown, you might think it's a kind of love. And you'd be right.
Scientists have learned that when the plant's leaves are touched, potassium ions are released, causing a significant drop in cell pressure and leading the leaves to collapse as if the plant were nodding off to sleep. This elegant movement, called thigmonasty, topples carpenter worms and spider mites to the ground just as they think they'll be getting their bite on. How I wish I could fold inward and shut down and shake off predators with one touch. What a skill, what a thrill that could be.
...just remember the smile of an axolotl. The best thing to do in that moment is to just smile and smile, even if your smile is thin. The tighter your smile, the tougher you become.
The phrase "I can feel it in my bones" is synonymous with "I know it to be true." What if the cassowary's famous boom is also nature's way of asking us to take a different kind of notice of them? To not just appreciate and admire cassowaries for their striking looks and deadly feet, but to sense their presence on this earth? Suppose that boom shaking in our body can be a physical reminder that we are all connected—that if the cassowary population decreases, so does the proliferation of fruit trees, and with that, hundreds of animals and insects then become endangered.