By Molly Patrick
Aug 3, 2019,
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who grew up under the New Mexico sky. She was a child of nature and she was filled with wonder and curiosity. She ran wild without shoes, only dirt under her feet. She tolerated clothes but preferred to go without. She knew every sound that came from the desert. The singing cicadas in the summer. The howling coyotes at night. The clap of thunder during the monsoon. She knew the tarantulas, centipedes, and snakes.
And she wasn’t afraid.
She knew the deer family that would visit in the evenings and the birds who started their song in the early mornings. She knew the encompassing heat of summer and the biting cold of winter. She knew the vulnerable thaw of spring and the armoring up of fall. She knew Orion’s Belt and the Milky Way and the Big Dipper. She knew the Pleiades, but always preferred to call it the Seven Sisters because this little girl had sisters whom she adored.
She knew the glorious smell of lilacs and rosemary. She knew the softness of weeping willows. She knew the sting of goat heads, the prick of prickly pears and the unfriendly slice of beargrass. She was full of life because it was all around her. From the time she woke up in the morning to the time she went to bed at night, she was in awe of the world around her and she knew she was part of it.
She felt safe. She felt love. She felt connected.
Just like coyotes can only be coyotes, and prickly pears can only be prickly pears, the little girl could only be the little girl. And this was supported by her world. She was loved and accepted for exactly who she was. Not only by her loving parents, but by all of life around her. By the land she grew up on. By the stars, planets and constellations in the night sky. By the horny toads and yuccas and cacti. By the rain and the sunshine. The dirt and the wind. This was a mutual and reciprocated love and acceptance. It was deep, unconditional and unwavering. She never felt alone, even when no one else was around.
As the little girl got older, life did what life tends to do to little girls as they get older. It pulled her out of the wondrous magic and into the harsh trenches. Her open heart slowly became closed and her curious mind became afraid. The invisible and all knowing trust, love, and acceptance that she had always had from simply being alive was eventually blocked by the protective shell she created, the one that was only ever meant to keep hurt away.
So she started looking for trust, love, and acceptance from the humans around her. From parents, siblings, and friends. From lovers and bosses. From teachers and bartenders. From co-workers and grocery store clerks. From bus drivers and partners. But no matter how hard she tried, or how close she got, no other human could ever deliver that deep rooted and all encompassing trust, love and acceptance that was so naturally, effortlessly and freely given to her by the desert of her childhood.
So she stopped searching.
She let everyone in her life off the hook, and she started the work of digging herself out of the trenches and opening back up to the magic. After many years of removing the protective gear, it became clear that the trust, love, and acceptance that she was seeking from other people was already inside of her.
It was gifted to her the moment she was born.
And if ever in doubt, all she has to do is…
look up at the night sky.
Feel the wind kiss her body.
Sit in the sunshine.
Listen to the birds sing their song.
Feel the earth beneath her bare feet.
Close her eyes and connect with that invisible and all knowing force.
The one that she used to connect with so naturally and freely when she was a little girl under the New Mexico sky.
She is accepted and loved simply by being alive. All she has to do is be herself and she is supported. Maybe not by other humans all the time, but that doesn’t matter. It is not the job of other humans to make her feel better. No human can do that for very long anyway. She has something much more powerful on her side.
She has life itself.
Check out today’s quick carrot raisin salad recipe below and then come talk to me in the comments. Were you a child of nature too?
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon tahini (or sunflower butter)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups grated carrots (no need to peel / 300 g)
- ⅓ cup raisins (50 g)
- ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, coconut aminos, tahini (or sunflower butter), apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and salt. Whisk until completely smooth.
- Add the carrots, raisins and poppy seeds and toss together until everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Eat just like this.
Notes
Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with connecting with your own light.
Xo
Molly
23 Comments
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I think this might be your most beautiful post yet, Molly. I’m crying my eyes out. So dreamy and so filled with truth. Thank you for the reminder.
Love this. Had my 16 year old daughter read it. So powerful.
Absolutely beautiful and extremely helpful for where I am at today. Thank you for the love, I give it back to you.
You are amazing Molly. And yeah, I have felt that invisible all knowing love and acceptance….from within and not always. But it’s getting easier to get back to that love (home). It’s a practice for me, just like yoga or meditation.
Thank you for your light.
I loved this salad! I’ve always been a fan of the one with mayo… this is way better, and so much healthier.
And this post was my favorite ever!!
Thanks Molly
Thank you Molly. I needed to read this at this moment in life.
This is the most beautiful and touching post I’ve ever read and the most meaningful to me. I was that little nature girl, too, but I lived in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern NY. I never feared or worried until I had to deal with the political pressures of older childhood. I love you and the gifts that you have brought into the world. Mary
I have known that connection as well; the one only found in the natural world. Whether it was laying on my front lawn in mid coast Maine watching ants climb in and out of Peonies or perched on a mossy moist rock in the middle of a river, playing my fathers autoharp in concert with rushing rapids or laying naked in a dry wash in a canyon in the wilderness of New Mexico and getting sand blasted and baked to the bone. It is a source where Spirit is and is my calm and happy place. Thanks for reminding me.
I have a question: What could be a good substitute for raisins? I’m not fond of them. Thank you!
Any dried berry or fruit.
Wow! This blog is outstanding. Very descriptive and spoke to me. I so need to turn inward more. Meditation is what I so desperately need but often avoid. I think I fear being alone with myself, my thoughts and emotions. I want some of that warm light to wash over me .
Such an important and beautifully written message. I am approaching 73 and have yet to find what you describe. But, I keep getting nearer and while barriers remain, I like the way my learning has evolved over time. I once read a list attributed to ancient Sanskrit that included: “1. You will receive a body. 2. You will learn lessons 3. There are no mistakes, only lessons 4. A lesson will be repeated until it is learned…9. Life is exactly what you think it is 10. Your answers lie inside you 11. You will forget all of this 12 You can remember it whenever you want.” Certain knowledge appears when one needs it and/or is open to hearing it. CFDG and LU are such an effective and important part of my education evolution about what a miracle the body is and how bright that miracle can shine when we release all the barriers that weigh it down. Thanks for the pathway.
I felt such a sense of calm come over me as I read this. Thank you.❤️
The recipe looks wonderful, but I’m even more awestruck by what you wrote. And I’m assuming that little girl was you, right, Molly?
And Donna (hope you read this), I loved what you wrote—and immediately had to look up the Sanskrit Rules for Being Human. Wow! You said certain knowledge appears when one needs it and/or is open to it—I’m both (yay, me!) and you were kind enough to provide some of it for me. How great this group is that Molly has created. At 65, not many people my age are into growing as humans—and I suppose that could be said for the under-65s as well.
Ellen, I did read your reply and am glad you found the Rules. Donna
Lovely post. You are lucky to remember that free time in your life. I’m slowly trying to remember mine and to retrieve it for my life now. Thanks for the inspiration.
Dear Molly, we are kindred spirits, except for me it was the woods. It still is. I daydream about it. When I was young I felt so connected to all of it. Now, it’s where I’m allowed to just be, without justification. Its so comfortable even if I can’t find that physical feeling of connection anymore. I feel supported there…thank you for giving me that word for it, because it’s just right. And thank you for your beautiful writing.
Molly molly molly molly molly. I crossed paths with a person today that reminded me of that being that the universe has supplied with all the love and knowledge needed to bounce the light within right back to the universe. And then I came home and read this post. The great expanse of the works universe doesn’t stop teaching. I guess we need to be open to the learning. Xo
Diced apple would probably work really well too.
Sister, I am so sorry I didn’t know you called me. I love you, I’m here.
I loved this post. It reminds me of a time when I was 9 years old. I was crying and felt like no one loved me. My mom bought my sisters sneakers and not me. I was feeling left out and crying my eyes out. Suddenly, I felt a warm glow around me and felt like a hug with love. It was at that moment that I knew there was God. I never forgot or felt such love and beauty. Now I know it’s the source in me that was giving my nine year old self that hug. I’m glad to know I’m not alone in this experience. Beautiful post and reminder to reconnect daily. ?
Can you tell me the serving size for the carrot salad? How many people does it serve? Thank you
Hi Danielle – This recipe makes approximately 4 servings. We don’t publish serving sizes at this time, but you can just divide it into 4 equal parts for a side dish, or if you’re super hungry or eating it by itself, divide it in half or simply eat until you’re full. Thanks!