Where the Wild Things Are, and Why They Matter

A Shared Neighborhood

I’ll never forget the first time I truly saw a bird. I was hiding on my porch from another overwhelming day when this scruffy sparrow landed nearby. My grandmother used to name all her backyard birds – watching this one tilt its head and preen, unbothered by my presence, I finally understood why. It wasn’t just a visitor; it was a neighbor. That’s when Gary Snyder’s words clicked: “Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”

The Web of Life

Sometimes I lie awake thinking about how we’re treating our home like a hotel room we can trash because someone else will clean it up. Every tree, river, and creature plays a vital role, yet we act like we’ve got a backup planet stashed away somewhere. The truth is, their survival and ours are braided together, and each strand we lose weakens us all.

Making Change Real

In The Gambia, Isatou Ceesay saw her homeland drowning in plastic waste. Instead of just despairing (like I probably would have), she started a movement, turning trash into beautiful, sellable products. Her work didn’t just clean up the environment—it gave women jobs and showed that change happens when we stop waiting for someone else to fix things.

Becoming a Steward of the Wild

Last summer, I decided to try something that scared me a little. I wanted to turn my backyard into a wildlife haven. My first attempt was a disaster – I accidentally planted invasive species that took over everything. But after some actual research, I started again: native flowers, a bird feeder (quickly claimed by entrepreneurial squirrels), and a patch of unmowed grass that scandalized my neighbor.

Despite my fumbling efforts, nature showed up. Bees found the flowers. Birds built nests. A family of rabbits started visiting at dusk, and I found myself watching for them like they were my favorite TV show. These small changes created ripples I never expected.

You can do this too, probably with fewer mistakes than I made. Support wildlife organizations. Create welcoming spaces in your yard (after checking what’s actually native). Choose reusable alternatives. Even imperfect efforts matter.

Today’s Challenge

Take 10 minutes to just… be. Find a quiet spot – your yard, a park, even that forgotten green space behind the grocery store. Listen. Last time I did this, I heard traffic first, but then… birds. Leaves. Life happening all around me.

A Call to Coexistence

I keep coming back to Snyder’s words about home, maybe because my own understanding keeps evolving. Sometimes I wonder if we’re too late, if these small efforts matter. But then I think about that sparrow on my porch, about Ceesay’s plastic revolution, about the rabbits who now trust my backyard as their evening sanctuary. Change happens one small choice at a time.

Your Invitation

Start somewhere. Join a cleanup, support a local wildlife group, or just step outside and really look around. Nature’s been waiting for you to notice – and once you do, you’ll never see home quite the same way again.