Ep 3: Caught up in wonder

Beth Z can think of no better setting to discuss Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" than on an 18-mile hike through a forest in Pennsylvania. She shares her curiosity about the language we use to refer to nature; specifically, what if we begin to refer to plants and animals as "somones" instead of "somethings?" The Beths explore how this language adjustment might change their relationship with nature, inspiring a deeper sense of wonder and respect for our environments. Could this be the start of redefining our surroundings, transforming our relationship with our environments and waking us up to the beauty around us? Beth J continues the discussion of language by discussing one of her favorite things about biology: the fact that there is no working definition for life. The fact that biology is a discipline with no definition of its subject is the focus of an entire chapter of her book, Through the Kaleidoscope, and the conversation in this episode is just a preview of the content of this chapter. Biology shows how it's possible to study something that is wildly mysterious and impossible to pin down -- and in fact, when we study mysterious things, we can be sure that our work is worthwhile and novel. 

Read Robin Wall Kimmerer's brilliant book Braiding Sweetgrass to dive even deeper into a sense of natural wonder. Please note the spelling of her name, and that the Beths mispronounce her name throughout the episode, a mistake they blame on the loopiness that comes along with an 18-mile hike.

Learn more about Bethany Zabiegalski's work as a lifestyle coach and wilderness guide at The Heart Wants Adventure. Learn more about Elizabeth Jeffries' work including her book Through the Kaleidoscope, the story of her departure from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity and her wholehearted embrace of her sense of natural wonder.

Location: Rachel Carson Trail, Pittsburgh, PA

Record Date: August 22, 2020