Recently I have been thoroughly enjoying, and often inspired, by this podcast called Open Air Humans. I listen to it through Spotify, but you can also listen to it through Apple Podcasts, etc. Below I will put a link to the page for it.
The other night while driving home from an appointment I got to listen to a handful of these podcasts and I have been hooked ever since.
I will give an example of one that stood out to me....
I was listening to Episode 11 with Indigenous Ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk. She was talking about our relationship with plants around us and how to deepen that relationship. A piece of advice she gave was to learn more about the plants-starting with their name. When we get to know someone, we start with their name.
This hit me so hard and gave me *chills*.
In the past when walking out in nature, I have sometimes wondered the name of a plant or a tree or a bird. And while I have always been interested in knowing these things, I feel like the desire for knowledge came from a place of "I should know this..." or for self betterment.
But listening to Linda, it shifted that perspective onto the relationship I would have with the nature around me. I want a deeper relationship with nature-one of connection. From this perspective, knowing the name didn't come from a desire of knowledge, but a desire of knowing-of deepening my understanding to deepen my connection and better the relationship.
I am so grateful for this conversation and this shift in perspective.
And of course, being who I am, I related this to dogs. I've heard Brene Brown (have you listened to any of her podcasts yet?!) talk about what people want in a relationship-the be seen, to be heard, to be understood. So thinking about what Brene and Linda were saying, I thought about my desire to deepen my relationship with my dogs.
How one of the best ways to do that is to observe them, trying to really see them. Not through our human filter, not through the Disney like characters we can project onto them, but for who they really are. It is why one of my biggest goals as a dog trainer is to help people have a deeper understanding of their dog, an awareness for how we are interacting together.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this--please comment below.
Also, if you listen to the podcast, you know I want your thoughts! I am interested in having a podcast discussion group with people if they'd be interested........
Podcast Link:
https://openairhumans.com/