Symbiosis: A Change Underway

An Autumn Vow

The leaves,

Blown down by the wind,

Are not vain,

But shall compost,

To provide for,

A greater germination,

In the next spring.

Yee Zheng

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Without seasons, would we feel the passage of time?

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Time allows for healing from the everyday stress people undergo and everything in between.

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With the constant hustle of our modern, capitalist society, we need to be reminded that breaks are essential. Nature takes its breaks through seasons, blooming in spring, sustaining in summer, withering in fall, and hibernating in winter. Although Houston is notoriously known by locals to only have two seasons, Summer and Winter, these ongoing seasonal changes and adjustments are still vital to the environment.

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Humans are inherently connected to nature. It is scientifically proven to help heal our body, mind, and soul. Additionally, we are encouraged to spend a hundred and twenty minutes in nature.

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Being in nature allows individuals to experience the weekly and seasonal changes as plants sprout, mature, bud, and wither into a perpetual cycle. The images above of artist and environmentalist, Cindee Travis Klement’s living sculpture at Lawndale, are a perfect example of seasonal changes. Her work titled Symbiosis, reflects the healthy and necessary adaptations in her garden. Symbiosis must adapt to the environment and temperature variations to survive. I would like to believe that humans must do the same, in order to face changes and challenges with adversity.

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While assisting Cindee with Symbiosis, I also learned how the living sculpture stays true to its name. Tending to Symbiosis, also meant that Symbiosis was helping me. Being in the garden allows me to connect with nature and also observe the changes in the environment, whether that is new blooms, wilting plants, new fungi growth, or occasionally spotting a new insect. It is important to take a break and contribute to something greater than myself.

I find enjoy witnessing and participating in this symbiotic co-existence with nature, and perhaps it is possible to have a similar, symbiotic relationship with time. Time allows us to achieve our goals and aspirations.

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It is important to remember that a healthy garden looks different during varying seasons and it is crucial to know when to find balance in order to adjust and ground yourself every now and then.

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“… time is not a linear flow, as we think it is, into past, present, and future. time is an indivisible whole, a great pool in which all events are eternally embodied and still have their meaningful flash of supernormal or extra-sensory perception, and glimpse of something that happened long ago in our linear time.”

FRANK WATERS, MOUNTAIN DIALOGUES, 1981