Joanna Macy writes that until we can grieve for our planet we cannot love it and grieving is a sign of spiritual health. But it is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again. Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair.
Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.
And it is not the land that has been broken, but our relationship to it.