"I choose joy over despair."

“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”  Robin Wall Kimmerer. Source

I was first introduced to Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass.  I can’t remember how I was led to her work, but since reading it, I have given copies to several people, including the young adult version.  Robin Wall Kimmerer is a member of the Potawatomi nation, a botanist, founder and  director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York, a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor at th College of Environmental Science and Forestry, a mother, and an author.  I am most grateful that at one of our Joy is an act of Resistance lunch gatherings this year, her 4th book The Serviceberry was recommended.  (I won’t name names here, but I am grateful to the person and I do remember who suggested this title.)  The Serviceberry; Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World provides us with more of her wisdom using the serviceberry plant to demonstrate how sharing resources creates abundance and how communities can thrive by practicing a gift economy.  Her book demonstrates how reciprocity, gratitude and mutual support can lead to more healthy communities as welll as individuals.  This is a short book, 105 pages.  If you haven’t already read it, check it out from your local library.  I predict you will find it a book you will eventually want to add to your own personal collection. If you have read it, please add your comments on what you found most rewarding in reading this book.