Rooted
“To
be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of
the human soul.”
Simone
Weil
There
are banyan trees in Costa Rica. So determined are they to be deeply
grounded that one trunk and one root-bundle are not enough. They keep
sending down shoots from the limbs that pry into the ground and form
a whole new system of supports. We saw fences made not from posts and
rails or wire, but from trees planted so close together that nothing
could squeeze through. Their green domes interwove and provided shade
for the animals enclosed.
Adaptive,
inventive people use the tools at hand to make what works for them.
They are rooted in their environment so thoroughly and profoundly
that they become one with it. In the little village where we stayed,
there were few employment opportunities except for a couple of cabana
cafes and small hotels. People survived by piecing together several
small jobs and taking whatever opportunity presented itself in the
moment.
Every
morning around 5:30 on our little stretch of the beach, two fishermen hauled their motors, poles and nets, coolers and bait boxes to two
small wooden boats, perhaps ten or twelve feet long. They untied them
from coconut trees, pushed and pulled them across dry sand into the
surf, then waited for the waves to assist them with launching.
They were out on the water most of the day, coming in and beaching
those little boats in mid-afternoon. Every day, dozens of frigate birds and
vultures gathered and circled, anticipating their return. On good
days they caught ten or so fish, but sometime only three or four.
Whatever the catch, they cleaned the fish right on the front of the
boat, throwing the heads and entrails up for the birds to catch. Food
for the family, and that family included the birds. This hard work allowed them to stay where they are rooted.
We
all need rooting. We need to have a sense of place and identity, a
community to which we belong. The people in the small village of
Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica have found that, and hold tightly to it. For a little while we had the privilege of sharing in their
hospitality. I am grateful for that, and I am equally happy to return
to my own roots. Like the banyan tree, I'm going to send down a few
new shoots.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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