The Eno

Today was a typical summer day in NC. I would call it “walking in soup.” I spent the morning mulching with some friends, thus getting super dirty and working up a sweat. I combated that with a lovely swim in our local river, The Eno, which is only a mile from my house. I longed for The Eno while in Africa. It is where I feel closest to my HP and where I get a lot of my serenity. Sitting in the river is like a private, natural spa. There are jets and sand scrubs for free! Nina and I bask in the sunlight and frolic in the water until I get prunish and then we head home. I think part of what I loved in Africa was how in nature I was all the time. I spent many nights sleeping on my screened in porch at home, serenaded by the crickets and frogs in my backyard. 

While in South Sudan, you may remember that we lived in our own personal safari style tents and many folx had difficulty falling asleep to all the loud nature noises. I slept better than most places because there were the familiar sounds of my NC home. I also loved how many of our daily activities were dictated by nature- I certainly couldn’t do laundry and hang it out to dry when there was a rainstorm. 

I think in the US we have gotten so used to appliances or things that allow us free time to work more, that we are more degrees separated from nature and the earth. It is probably why we have so many climate deniers. It is hard to claim we haven’t affected the climate when immense flooding kills crops and livestock for basic necessities. I’m just feeling grateful today.