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Ali Isaac's avatar

What a beautiful concept! When was the last time I strpped out of culture? I suppose you could say it was when I shut down all of my social media, with the exception of Insta. Or maybe it goes back to my childhood, when in single digits, I became interested in the lives of people who had lived centuries before me. Recently, in returning to the land and the restoration of nature and supporting native plants and creatures. I know so many people are doing this, but most are not. So yes, a stepping out of culture, but maybe also stepping back into one. Good luck with this writing course. I am not yet ready to commit to something long term, but I think it sounds wonderful! 💕

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Carmen Schreffler's avatar

The restoration of nature—I am OBSESSED with slowly replacing the plants in my flowerbeds with native plants and creating little pockets within my property for different zones for creatures and plants. The concept of Doug Tallamy's Homegrown National Park inspires me.

It definitely feels like stepping back into a deeper connection with all things when I leave "culture" and step into my gardens.

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Ali Isaac's avatar

Carmen, your garden sounds amazing, and that is exactly the way I am going about restoring mine. I have a little woodland area, too and six apple and plum trees in another area that are about 15 years old, today I was working out how I could develop this part into a mini food forest. Thank you for responding to my comment, I often feel alone in this rewilding project, it makes me feel happy and encouraged to know you are doing the same at the same time. 💕

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Carmen Schreffler's avatar

I love that you are creating a food forest! I added several pawpaw trees, two cherry trees, and a serviceberry to my yard last summer. You definitely aren't alone 😊

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Ali Isaac's avatar

Really good to know. 💕

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Marisa Goudy's avatar

OH, I am so glad to see you connect, Ali and Carmen!

And thank you, Ali! Perhaps in the next round of the Writers’ Knot... I look forward to chatting with you next week. 💚

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Jenny's avatar

LOVE THIS!

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Annette Vaucanson Kelly's avatar

Marisa, this came at just the right time for, and I'm loving the synchronicity! I was on the Cliff only yesterday, 20 minutes down the road from where I live, and I found the seals ✨🦭... I step out of culture every time I have a skinny dip, which is nowhere near as often as I'd like - it does feel like I'm outside of the social scripts that weigh so heavily on us women, and that I am truly in the world.

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Marisa Goudy's avatar

I'm so in love with the way our forays into the wild are aligned, Annette. I long for the ocean so much right now...

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Ashley Batistick's avatar

Couldn’t come at a more needed time 🔥

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Aoibhín's avatar

This resonates deeply with me. I am a medical professional,the daughter of medical professionals. I stepped out of culture when we lost our baby at 21 weeks of pregnancy. I took the time off I needed to fallow, to go to the dark place. I said no to medication, accepting where I was as the place I was meant to be. I said no to 'putting on the make-up and going back to work' as the women in my family encouraged. I walked the landscape, revisited the myths of this land. I went for counselling in a stone cottage with a stove burning warm and bright between two armchairs. I revisited the times before when I had heard the call of the wild, the call of the women who have gone before, but had not heeded them. Now, I am rebuilding culture in our own cottage, teaching my daughter and son about the cycles of the moon and the seasons so that they too can fallow when they need to.

Thank you 🙏

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