I am bursting at the seams
I am overflowing
In ways that don't always feel like a Relief.
Relief, such a transient, fleeting thing, 
The word Relief:
Meaning; the lifting of an undue burden
The rolling of the tongue to say what's unsaid
(Or)
Material actions that support those in crises;
The feeling of shoulders falling back and away
The smoothness of the way you turn your head towards the sunlight
How heavy is your head at night?
Your pillow catching the weight of it all.
When I think of
Relief
I think of tapping in & out, like track team sports
The passing of the baton,
Something less individual and vague
And more relational and specific.
The beauty of relief is that it means different things
to different people.
When our neighbors call on us,
When there is a connection between You & I,
We can show up in highly specific ways.

Nourishing each other like two plants coexisting to keep each other alive, like:
Goldenrod, Solidago and Purple Asteraceae,
Solidago translates to: “to make whole”,
Scientifically, these plant allies have evolved to nourish one another
Along the highway, mending eroded soil along the Blue Ridge escarpment.
Routes teeming with life,
Only because there is a mutual relationship,
A dynamic of relief that allows them to be so prolific.
Even after hurricanes, these partners regenerate the soil 
And prevent further erosion. 
How can I grow in this way? 
How can I reach out my vines, stretch my leaves
To lean on & support my fellow flowers?
How can I be ready for the next storm?

The communication between Solidago & Aster 
travels through the soil,
In a mycelium network
where decomposters crawl.
It is a vital system.
Mycelium allows nutrients to be dispersed evenly,
This mechanism determines when a plant releases pollen, 
Which season is ideal for trees to drop acorns,
Where to send support
nutrients, 
and hydration 
across an entire forest bed;
A decentralized series of switchboards!

They give freely because they don’t grow in isolation.
They flourish because they recognize their survival
is dependent on one another. 
It is a quietly coordinated effort. 
It is a highly specific form of mutual aid and relief.
We weave webs of support,
Just like the forest,
When we make a meal for someone who's sick, 
accompany our friend to a doctor's appointment, 
or bring groceries to a family facing food insecurity,
When we commit to building systems of mutual support and community care:
We Flourish!
Historically, we flourish through the same mechanism that keeps a forest alive.

I've seen it, in dusty parking lots off US 70,
From Swannanoa to Candler,
Neighbors brought together by our stories of survival,
Our hands sharing food, herbs, clothes, warmth, resources.
Our hearts sharing joy, sorrow, loss and hopes for Repair,
We Dream together
for Abundance and Renewal.

Some of us, study the stumps
We watch the streams, we look for true leaves,
In wonder & awe of their ability to hold water in new ways;
Cold Rivulets delivered by the carving out of the Old & Dear!
I have found no solid answer as Steady as the nature of fields
left Fallow, and
As faithful as the ways Earth
Perpetually weaves beneath our feet
In the aftermath of
Catastrophe.

So when I hear: “Disaster Relief”
It makes me wonder if we need to specify whether it's preventative or responsive,
Are we delivering this relief in a way that is highly responsive and based on the community's specific needs? 
Are we watering their roots in the right spot? 
Asking questions like these gets me excited for solutions, like:
Perhaps knowing what connections & networks are already established would make distributing aid more efficient and impactful. 
If there aren't systems built, 
bolstering lines of communication, 
Stewarding Zones of Connection & Liberation,
can be a meaningful step towards long-term Relief. 

It is Spring now, 
And the air, is Teaming with pollen.
Watering eyes weep as
Golden flecks, surrounded by bees, 
Embraced by clusters of purple,
Carry a sweet promise,
An essence of knowing,
as if she's seen it all before.
 
Despite the reality of our living conditions, there is enough for all of us,
But if we aren't talking to our neighbors, how will we receive their signals, their calls for nourishment?
How can we use our resources to strengthen our ability to respond to crises before outside intervention is available?
Who decides when the relief stops, and where mutual, sustainable aid begins?

The more I think of relief, specifically “Disaster Relief”, 
in relation to our plant allies, the more I realize 
society’s understanding of it is
Zoomed way too far out.
Far removed from the interdependence that allowed humanity to
Cross continents & oceans,
Our ideas around relief don’t take into account
Our vast history of co-flourishing; 
Our DNA remembers,
Indigenous Elders Remember when:
There was no distinction between us and nature. 
When I remember humans & plants have evolved Together, 
This is when I feel the most alive!
The trees, the flowers, the creatures amongst us 
have witnessed so much,
After all they have traveled alongside us, 
and us alongside them,
They have so much to teach us about ourselves because
They are us, and we are them.
I think most importantly:
Our inherent Nature
To lean on each other
is not separate from our definition of “Relief”.

*Disaster Relief* is a new concept
It comes from a lens far removed from the way we used to relate,
Our nature is to:
Build systems of care that reduce harm and bring Mutual 
Resilience to our ecosystems;
So that when disaster strikes, we are knit together to 
Reduce the impact.
This re-remembering of Care, Connection, and Belonging
Is a sacred return to the interconnected webs that have always
Weaved & Bound us together;
A Return that’s brought us
to this exact moment.
And it is so wonderful
Once you realize it is
already built into us;
Wake up sweet spirit
We are 
The Relief!