Do you harvest honorably?

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I want to share a resource I recently discovered. NYU, a few years back, chose Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass as their NYU Reads Book. One section of their online resources focuses on the Honorable Harvest. I hope you follow the link, explore, learn, and enjoy. It’s now about six weeks until Thanksgiving. We have much for which we should be thankful, plus much work to do to share, with honor, the blessings we have harvested.

Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis

Photo by J. Harrington

Once the World Was Perfect

By Joy Harjo

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.

Then we took it for granted.

Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.

Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.

And once Doubt ruptured the web,

All manner of demon thoughts

Jumped through—

We destroyed the world we had been given

For inspiration, for life—

Each stone of jealousy, each stone

Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.

No one was without a stone in his or her hand.

There we were,

Right back where we had started.

We were bumping into each other

In the dark.

And now we had no place to live, since we didn't know

How to live with each other.

Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another

And shared a blanket.

A spark of kindness made a light.

The light made an opening in the darkness.

Everyone worked together to make a ladder.

A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world,

And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,

And their children, all the way through time—

To now, into this morning light to you.

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Please be kind to each other while you can.