Kangra Gardens are a place for us to express our gratitude. Our gratitude to our family for always having our back. Our gratitude to our friends for always keeping us happy. But most of all our gratitude to the Earth, for all it gives us to sustain life.
To enter the gardens is to acknowledge and give attention to these reciprocal relationships with everyone and everything. Because, for us to be who we are today, it wouldn’t be possible without them. From the mango trees that attract the local monkeys to the gentleman on the corner selling fresh produce his family works so hard to grow back home, our lives are all so interconnected and dependent on each other. Without the trees producing oxygen, we wouldn’t be able to breathe (nor would the monkeys). Without the Earth allowing plants to grow vegetables and sacrifice their lives to feed us, we wouldn’t be able to be in good health.
Gratitude, though, is not enough. Kangra Gardens is also a place to give back to the Earth for all it does to take care of us. To do this, we give back by respecting, listening, and learning. Our life on Earth is a gift itself, but so is being able to be present in the gardens. Don’t forget to smile and enjoy your time here!
Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.
Robin Wall Kimmerer
