"I'm experiencing joy right now."
phone a friend, for the planet 💕
Recently I left one of my dear friends in Maryland a warbling voice note, ugly-crying from the front seat of my parked tomato-red Suzuki. I was one of two cars left at Malin Head in Donegal, Ireland’s most northerly point, and the nearly-full moon cast the entire sea before me aglow.
“These are happy tears!” I reassured her from the start, laughing as I wiped my face with cold fingers, checking my ruddy reflection in the vanity mirror.
Liv is my confidante for contemplation—a kindred spirit—someone who will softly touch the top of my hand with her palm and earnestly say “I am experiencing joy right now” when the moment suits it. An honest, sincere appraisal of the present.
For over a decade, we’ve shared what we call these “god moments” with each other, our conversations and text chains a growing repository of proof of life’s abundance, beauty, and meaning.
And from my sunset perch that evening, I was so overcome with gratitude that I burst into tears. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I found myself softly saying aloud, to no one really. Or perhaps to everyone.
What a gift to experience this life. And what a lucky vocation to reach out to someone, awestruck, just to share in it.
field work
I enjoyed an unusually sunny stint of weather in Dublin, Donegal, and Galway, though I still always feel over/underdressed. Here’s some of what I’ve been up to:
Swimming at the Forty Foot: It took me 20 minutes of silent self-coaching (I pretended to read while studying the locals who’d descend the steps, dive in, paddle out) before I too jumped in the freezing waters.
Visiting the greatest museum of all time: The Daogh Famine Village in Donegal is unforgettable. Imagine the entirety of Irish history told through poorly-crafted mannequins and inspirational quotes.
Sitting with the bog bodies: I’ll never forget the first time I read Seamus Heaney’s “The Tollund Man,” about a bog body found in Denmark. Ireland too is home to many, sacrificed to the bog and preserved by it.
Learning about ancient Irish saunas and sweat houses: The Irish traditionally built and utilized heated lodges to sweat out sicknesses, build community, and revere nature. I went to an event where a sauna master described entering the womb of the earth and emerging reborn.
People-watching and people-meeting: Pizza with my Brooklyn bestie’s sister, ginger shots with new swimming hole friends, morning coffees with my Airbnb host, beers at a birthday party I was invited to crash (all spoke in Irish!). Each made me feel at home and in good hands.
Hiking, exploring, eating: From An Earagail mountain to Tramore Beach (heavenly) to Anair restaurant (ladies, treat yourself to a 24-course Michelin meal even though you’re unemployed!!!) I spent my break wisely.
Staying at Ballymaloe: I just spent a week there (hence the late newsletter) with the Climate Farm School. More on that soon!
reverence
in which I share a quote, prayer, or meditation.
My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird -
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,
Which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.
—Mary Oliver
devotion
in which I share lifestyle suggestions to better honor this earth.
We can’t save this planet without first (and simultaneously) learning to savor it. Allow yourself five minutes today to bring your attention to all the goodness before you.
☎️ Check in with someone: To share your own god/good moment, thank them for being in your life, see how you can better support them. That intention to connect has ripple effects that of course extend to our earth.
🌞 Take your thoughts al fresco: Head for a walk or a cycle to notice the details of your environment. The soft grass beneath your feet, the bees face-deep in a rhododendron flower, the mourning dove cooing from the branch of a white oak. All this wonder to be present to and thankful for.
✍️ Jot it down: In your journal, in your notes App, via an Instagram post. Whatever you’re able to be grateful for this week, put it in writing. Attention is the beginning of devotion.
the craic
now listening: the cow moo-ing in the field next to me; “I Love You” by Fontaines D.C. for some modern Irish political angst.
now podcasting: “How to Gael” which blends Irish into English conversations between gal pals; a tell-all about our microplastics problem.
now watching: Haven’t been boob-tubing much, but I did watch “The Biggest Little Farm,” about a Cali couple’s organic farm #goals.
now reading: road signs in Irish and trying to verbally sound them out.
now eating: I accidentally bought gluten-free fermented buckwheat sourdough bread 🤔, a unique base for peanut butter hiking sandwiches.
now wearing: my dear Kenny’s nice crewneck I convinced him to lend me for forever ☺️; my togs in case an opportunity to swim presents itself.
now missing: forcing Radiohead on a captive, innocent audience by way of my yoga classes; walking to see my friends in Brooklyn.
not missing: feeling cooped up in sun-deprived NYC studios; the two sweaters I put on the street in Dublin, in the hopes someone takes them.
thank you // go raibh maith agat
Each of us comes from a culture or lineage rooted in reverence for the earth, proven through our collective ancestors’ lifestyles, ceremonies, and world views. For many, that divine connection to the land was severed—by force, by choice, by both.
Confronting and mitigating the climate crisis will depend on a great remembering of that connection, and a reestablishment of traditions, practices, and spiritualities we can employ to honor it.
I appreciate you working to remember. If anything in this newsletter resonates with you, let me know in the comments, and share with someone you love.
Sheila
PS: 🎶 I’m making an ongoing Spotify playlist in reference to this newsletter, listen if you’d like. Okay, that’s it! Slán!
I read this when you sent it out, and I continue to refer back to it weeks later. So striking, you are a beautiful writer!
Stunning words to be savored again and again!