Dear Design Wild Friends & Loved Ones,

It is definitely summer in the city. Have you noticed? Its been hot and humid for the last month. Ugh...I can feel temperatures AND tempers rising. Have you noticed folks fighting over crazy small things? On these hot steamy days, I’ve witnessed so many people get into arguments; over a parking space or their place in line. Even my own internal dialog veers towards the grumpy - "get out of my way" and "you're walking too slow." But in the midst of all these small hot moments, I keep wanting to cry, "with SO many things wrong with our world, lets be kind to each other!!" or as our favorite song of the summer says ‘be careful with me!’

Kindness is a practice towards others AND towards ourselves and first resides in our own thoughts. (It is not to be confused with those calling for civility. See Maxine Waters for that). We need to save our indignation, not for the lady blocking the sidewalk with her groceries, but for the people kidnapping our children on the border and stealing our healthcare and our democracy. We need energy and spirit to build up the alternative and when we practice kindness with ourselves, our loved ones and with perfect strangers on the subway, we build that capacity; we feed each other and grow stronger.

And this wouldn’t be Design Wild if we didn’t remind you that we have allies in this work: Our plant relatives, our tree elders, they are always ready to give kindness, whether you’re in need of shade, a breath of air, or a moment of beauty - our plants are always ready to help.

So the next time you’re hot and grumpy, go tell an oak tree about it, smell a rose and get ready for the revolution!

See you in the garden,
-Shanti

July 2018