This week Awesome Stories brings you eco-communities, life as poetry, consciousness of trees, creativity and age defying friendship.
Tinkers Bubble
This one captured my attention just for the name. Tinkers Bubble is a wonderful low impact community in rural Somerset, England. They have mostly woodlands, with some orchards, gardens, PV solar, cottage businesses and a strong desire to live simply and gently with the land. Years ago, I was part of a group that tried to create a co-housing community in Fayetteville. Unfortunately, we never raised enough capital to go from planning to building. But the dream of living with like minded people in conscious community living gently on the land has never gone away for me. This is a great example of what we wanted to do!
Lessons from Mark Nepo
Mark Nepo is an author, poet and teacher. Having survived cancer seems to have woken him up to what’s most important and how to live as authentically as possible, what he calls being the poem. He offers many helpful lessons in this interview with Tami Simon of Sounds True. I appreciate his reminder that we need to embrace our faults and humanness as honestly as possible. Recently, I’ve been embracing my imperfections, painful emotions and other aspects that I previously labeled as bad and tried to push away. I also appreciate his perspective that a good teacher creates space for others to share their truth and wisdom. Too often, we fall into guru worship as if only they have truth and wisdom. Have you read any of his books or programs? What do you think of his perspective?
Unusual Buddies
Watch this touching video about a friendship that transcends time and age.
The Benefits of Creativity
This post from DailyGood reminds me of an artist named Dvora who helped me realize that creativity is much more than being able to make art. We can be creative when we make plans, cook, garden, do business and craft our lives. This article reminds us that exposing children to the arts helps unlock creativity and empowers them. In turn, creativity brings many other benefits to our lives. Sadly, many schools have cut the arts from their budget. Let’s keep creativity alive in our hearts, children and communities!
The Consciousness of Trees
Yet another amazing example of how connected everything really is. Scientists have found that trees have an underground network of fungi that connect them other tress and plants around them. They operate as a system. Hopefully, we are learning this lesson of connection and living as part of a whole system.
Green School Bali
This school claims to be the greenest school in the world based on their 2012 USGBC Award for the Greenest School. Regardless, Green School Bali sure has created a beautiful community for teaching, with bamboo as their primary building material. I appreciate how they used local materials, teach sustainability and empower students. Their vision is to be a natural, holistic, student-centered learning environment that empowers and inspires our students to be creative and innovative green leaders. Go Green School Bali!
What’s in your consciousness? Create a great weekend! 🙂
writing to freedom 
A couple of coincidences here for me Brad. Firstly, ‘Tinkers Bubble’ is situated about 20 minutes south of where I live; and secondly, I was only watching this same video ‘Do trees communicate’ 3 or 4 days ago!
All best wishes.
Hariod.
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Awesome Hariod! It seems we’re exploring similar ideas and energies. Have you by chance visited Tinkers Bubble? I would love to see the homes and community in person. Have a great weekend.
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I have never visited Tinkers Bubble; though there is a smaller version of it much closer to me, and I have visited similar communities in Wales when I lived there. Have a great weekend yourself Brad!
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thanks, It’s been a while since I’ve visited a community or eco housing project. Might be time for a road trip.
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What a touching story, ‘Unusual Buddies’, thanks for sharing Brad. ‘Communicting Trees’ was fascinating too; we are constantly finding out, more and more, how everything is connected, I hope the full realisation dawns before it is too late!
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Me too Robert. Yes, we keep learning more amazing things about the connectivity of life. I too hope humans wake up to playing our part and work with nature. If not, I believe nature will restore and rebound, just without humans. To waking up and co-creating.
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Hi Brad,
Those are really amazing stories – I loved reading ‘Tinkers Bubble’ and ‘Green school’. It is heartening to learn that people still have so much of love for nature and natural living! ‘Unusual Buddies’ tugs at our heart because children at this age are so loving and cooperative, all they want is company. We have a similar little boy in our neighborhood, who runs towards us to communicate, ask questions and show his new T shirt and he always has a word of appreciation for us!
Thanks for sharing lovely stories!
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You’re welcome Balroop. I love nature and am inspired by the ways we are learning to live more in harmony with nature. I hope to inspire more people to live in harmony with nature. I’m glad you have a little boy to connect and play with! XD
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Each an interesting vignette. I am particularly drawn to the Nepo piece. Mark is but one of countless others who have had a significant experience, endured and told their story. Each has a different spin on what they learned and how they then choose to share their insights with others. They’re often thought-provoking and inspiring, as is Nepo.
To your follow-on questions, Brad, I believe every one of us the capacity to tap into our own invaluable potential and create, implement and live our own vision — an any scale. We do. Period. There are so many people ‘out there’ who are pitching/selling systems, programs, techniques and how-to solutions. And people are turning to them for direction and motivation… when they possess it right within themselves.
“Guru worship.” A sadly, apt term. What’s exciting is that more and more people are awakening to their own awareness and the possibilities that are right in front of them. Nepo would applaud this. 🙂
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Thanks for the thoughtful response Eric. I agree with you and Mark. Yes, we all have the potential, but many like me haven’t learned to trust or understand the messages. So we turn to teachers, but as you mentioned, mostly they are interested in selling some “system or formula for success”. I’ve wasted a lot of time and energy looking to others for the answers. Thank for being one of the teachers who helps people awaken to their own guidance and awareness. 🙂
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what a beautiful collection of smiles you gave me here.. everything touched my heart and connected me with a part of myself I had been searching for lo many months now… thank you
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You are most welcome. I’m humbled that I could serve you Annette. How wonderful to connect to more of yourself with an open heart. Welcome home! 🙂 I find great joy in touching hearts, inspiring and encouraging others to look at new ideas. Thank you for letting me know.
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Oh, I so love this post! This is my path too, the connectedness to the non-human world, nature and life. Brad, have you heard of the Agents Of Change Project? James Reed does the work of awareness through social sculpture (which is largely about conscious conversations). James is in Portland. http://www.agentsofchangeproject.blogspot.com or http://www.social-sculpture.org. There is also the University of the Trees, if you would be interested?
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I’m glad we share the path of connection to nature and larger life Nicci. The more of us that live in ways that honor nature, the better for all. Thanks for the resources, I’ll look into them. Conscious conversations sound like a great approach for connecting with nature, ourselves and other people. 🙂 blessings my friend.
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Hi Brad! Wow….I loved reading all the responses here today 🙂 So many things I could say…but I think I will get on my soap box about art in schools. I was very lost when I was in high school. It was when I disconnected to the spiritual energy that I was born into. I spent every available moment in the art room. For me, it was truly a life saver…and I really mean that. If I could go back and imagine what may have happened to me had I not had that refuge….I can’t…don’t want to. Because even though I was lost, I kept one foot connected to the energy of creation…the energy which created everything!!! Thanks for listening, dear friend. I hope this Sunday finds you in beautiful spirits…with beautiful spriits!!! ❤
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Hello dear Lorrie, I’m so glad that you kept art alive in your heart and life. ❤ It seems to have served you well. Nature was my first connect to something larger, and later photography and now writing. I believe good art taps into the energies of life, any maybe our purpose is to co-create with nature, life, other people in harmonious ways; to be conscious co-creators. Thanks for sharing and supporting. May we find and become beautiful spirits. 🙂
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“Art taps into the energies of life” …I love this…and yes it does. And I see art in so many genres. ..so many creations…not just “art” per se. And yes…beautiful spirits…thanks Brad ❤
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You’re welcome my friend. 🙂
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Love all of these. Shared on FB.
But also, just wanted to comment that if I’m not around quite as much as I had been: I’m a teacher and in grad school and tutor students – school is gearing up. But, I DO promise to stop by from time to time. Hope you’re well. Cheers.
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Thanks for the share Cynthia. I appreciate any visits, comments and shares. Sounds like you have a full life with blogging, teaching and being in grad school. What are you studying? Wow Cynthia! I just re-read your post about knowing some incredible people. Sounds busy! I hope you find time for refreshing, resting and being along with all your activity.
I imagine you are a good teacher, sharing your heart and passions. blessings, Brad
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Love these stories, Brad. Wow, chk out that roof in the first one. I helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity once in college but I really appreciate what you had set out to do w/ your group. Wonderful reminder on creativity. My boy has blossomed in this regard, grown to build all sorts of constructions and draw things beyond what I thought he could, in his personal down-time during the day. Yesterday he held up a cool piece of marker-painting and said it was “abstract art”. =)
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Thanks Diana, I’ve helped a little with Habitat too. That flowing roof tickles my heart and imagination. 🙂 I’m glad your son is exploring his creativity. I hope you both keep encouraging him to follow his creativity and passions. I wish I had that encouragement as a child. blessings, Brad
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I think there is more conscious parenting today than when we were kids.
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Thankfully!
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Brad your choice of stories are once again Awesome.. Your first video with little toddler driving his tractor and friendship with his neighbour brought tears at the end… And I loved the one on the communication network of fungi with the trees…
The homes in your first story too very inspiring.. hoping more will be built.. 🙂
Wishing you a very good week, and many thanks too for your visit 🙂
Sue
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Wow Sue, thanks for the high praise! I must admit to some tears with that story too. It reminded me of my relationship with my grandfather, though I only saw him about once a year. The tree communication warms my heart to know we are starting to respect and learn more from nature about connections, systems and living holistically. I hope you have a fun and creative week…:)
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