As the smoke continues to come barreling into Portland, I gaze out the window at a hazy sky. The sun is on fire and the forests are burning. Ash rains from the sky and covers cars, vegetable gardens, people, animals, everything. It is relentless and unforgiving. It does not judge or discriminate. It simply falls.

It is much like the chaos that we see surrounding us during these times. Whether you are a republican or democrat, whether you are on the west coast surrounded by smoke or the gulf coast surrounded by water, or whether you are on the entirely opposite side of the planet, the unmistakeable sensation of chaos looms heavy over us. When chaos surrounds it is easy to forget that darkness is always kept in check by the light. For every bad thing in this world there is a good thing. For every tree scorched by fire there is a tree being planted into the earth for the first time. It’s simply the laws of nature at play.

Polarity is a necessary balancing force on the planet. Everything dies and everything must end eventually. But shortly after death comes the birth of something new. That’s nature at work. That doesn’t mean there won’t be sadness and that there won’t be grief. There will be, and should be. But then we let it go and trust that something brilliant will take its place.

We have become out of touch with natural law because we have become out of touch with nature. We exist within boxes at home and at work, plugged into virtual worlds that hollow us out and reduce the very essence of what it means to be human. To be human is to be in the body, I mean really in the body. We have lost touch with our earth and our fellow humans because we have lost touch with ourselves. When we lose touch with something, it is easy to treat it poorly and without respect. To heal ourselves and our planet, we need to disconnect from the virtual world and reconnect with the elements. Get out into nature, gaze at the vastness of the ocean, admire the strength of a hundred year old tree, wonder at the stillness that you cultivate when you put your feet into the earth and breathe deeply into your belly.

And it’s the stillness that causes the chaos to dissipate. Peace can exist amongst chaos if we connect with the wisdom and stillness within. Nature is peaceful and chaotic all at once. It jumps between the poles unapologetically. As should we. And as I mourn for all of the natural beauty that has been lost in these fires this summer, and all of the lives that have been impacted by them, I am reminded that there is always a lesson lingering in the distance. We must reconnect with our planet, each other, and most importantly — ourselves. That is the only way we can hope to heal our world.

All my love,

Cailee