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Kokedama: On Loving Where You’re At

Traveling is a beautiful thing. Being able to experience new ways of life, new cultures, new natural wonders can be incredibly enriching and inspiring. But traveling great distances is not the only way to engage with the wonder of new discovery! 

Years ago, I made myself a promise that has completely changed what I do and how I live. I told myself that if I couldn’t go far, I would go deep. Let me explain: I have severe chronic health issues that limit international travel, or even big trips within my own country. I used to feel left-behind and jealous when friends and family would travel to the overseas countries I longed to visit, or go on vacations without me when I was too ill to join them. There’s a whole world out there, and I couldn’t see any of it!

Then, something shifted. As I walked the same short trail every day, I began to notice new miracles every day - dewdrops nestled into mullein leaves like diamonds, or clinging to tiny little moss stalks). I noticed myself noticing these wonders, and I realized that I actually had an advantage! I knew this little tiny corner of the world with an intimacy that can only come from interacting with it closely and frequently. I began to learn to predict weather patterns by animal behavior, or foraging timelines based on what other plants were doing any given season or year. I made the conscious choice to let myself fall head-over-heels in love with my own region, to explore the wonders available to me right here, right now. Those wonders inspire my artwork, they inspire my culinary creations, and they feed me spiritually in a way that feels extremely personal and dear. I have created magic here, I have buried treasure here, I have woven my heart in amongst the moss and pine trees. 

My range of exploration varies from visiting places a day or two’s drive from my Idaho home when my health is relatively stable, to observing the seasonal changes outside my window during periods of bedrest. Now, I can honestly say I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Sure, I have never been able to visit a Hungarian Spa or go backpacking in Corsica, but I know the lushest spots of moss and the best fiddlehead foraging areas and have seen wonders that made me gasp aloud, from the Tamolitch Blue Pool in Oregon to the Northern Lights in Alberta. This is a rich life, right here, right now. 

Do you ever go on a walk in your home with the intent to look through new eyes, to view your landscape as if you were from a faraway land seeing it for the first time? Do you let the wildflowers charm you, the moss entice you, the dewdrops enchant you? Do you pay attention to the natural rhythms taking place all around you, and how they feel in your body? Do you also go deep? I hope so. Whether you’re a globetrotter or a homebody, making the conscious decision to fall in love with your home sure makes life a little more magical. 

That’s not to say we must shut out other cultural influences or ideas - not at all! It’s easier than ever to virtually explore anywhere in the world, to soak in history and art and culture from all over the world! I am particularly inspired by many of the traditional arts of Japan and the concepts that accompany them. Kokedama, a form of bonsai that involves binding the roots of a plant in a ball of moss, feels particularly poignant and elegant here in the mossy woods of the Pacific Northwest. Hanging these sculptural plantings in my garden or home echo the sheets of backlit moss that illuminate the rainforest on a sunny day, a beautiful expression of nature with just a slight architectural helping hand. They’re easier to make than they might seem, and you can create them out of sustainably gathered moss and local plants! 

Find the rest of this post and the Craft Club Instructions over on Patreon.com/thewondersmith!

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