Today is the second day of constant rain here in the valley of Northern California and it signals perhaps the last rainstorm of the season and a great relief to farmers across the land, especially here on this Kiwi farm. My host here recently said herself that it was almost perfect timing that it would rain just before the trees began pushing flowers and pollinating as it would provide a badly needed bump of energy for these thirsty trees. That is the luck of the orchard here, my luck is a little different but not completely. I get a badly needed rest. Time to repair tired arms and hands that had been working for too many days straight to count on two hands worth of fingers (it seems parallels certainly can transcend species on this little farm) and to read the many books that had been piling at my anxious fingertips.
Interestingly another cross-species parallel occurred to me while reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma this rainy morning. Immersed in the book and its tales of food culture and the warriors involved, I happened to glance at the bookmark sticking out from the pages and read the script 'Oroville Bookworm' (a local bookstore) lining the top. I wondered to myself 'what ought I make of this seemingly innocent intersection of nature and human culture?' The Bookworm. I had heard the phrase often through my life (not often referring to me) but had never saw a reason to put much thought to it. But, now sitting here on this farm surrounding by thousands of earthworms in the gardens and fields (hopefully) I felt a greater connection to the imagery produced on this thin and apparently meaningless placeholder. Was there anything to this strange hybrid creature wearing glasses but with the body of a giant green worm? I thought more about it. What is the purpose of a typical earthworm? Well to begin with, as it moves through subsoil it aerates, mixes, and digests organic matter improving soil fertility thus adding a great source of energy for plants to derive energy from. Literally any plant species living surrounded by earthworms is better off because of their presence. Then I began thinking about how an avid reader can act in a similar fashion. Turning seemingly dead ideas into inspirational actions making life a little easier for those around them. Those people invested in actualizing timeless themes can change the world by pushing it to feel things it had forgotten it had access to. Thus, we manifest the instinctual thematic life of an earthworm everyday and I have the bookmark to prove it. Coupled with the intention to improve the lives of those around them anyone wielding a sense of personal moral clarity and a willingness to openly converse with others will help create a culture of tolerance and dialogue which has no enemies besides the book burners.
I find this coincidental mixing of natural lore and culture to be a good foundation for human health. If we all remembered that our ancestors worked with the land to foster a loving environment rather than manipulating it to further efficiency we might all humble our selves to realize we may be no better for the planet than a lowly earthworm.
It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures
-Charles Darwin
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