Dr. Tenpenny

10.2K views02:53

This morning I was thinking about how for pretty much my entire life, I've never really felt like I belonged anywhere.

Of course, some of that may have to do with the fact that we moved a lot when I was a kid...13 schools in 13 years, including 3 different first grades and 3 different third grades. It became clear to me at a young age that having long-term friends just wasn't going to be a thing for me as a kid and I needed to learn to just adapt to whatever environment I woke up in and not worry about seeking approval from anyone about anything. I mean, what was the point?

But even as an adult, I've always felt out of place wherever I am.

Wrong place...wrong time...adapting to whatever environment I wake up in regardless of how I feel. The oddball that gets gawked at, made fun of, or makes people uncomfortable because I don't need external validation for my existence and I don't go along with what everyone else does or believes or wants.

And then I thought, "That sounds kind of like how people define a weed".

Which is kind of funny considering I spend a lot of time foraging for, consuming, and teaching about using "weeds" as food and medicine.

And then it struck me how I tend to believe that wild plants appear in our immediate environment when we need them most. I used to think it was silly at first way back when I didn't know as much about weeds and herbs as I do now...until I started paying attention to how certain "weeds" would suddenly appear in my yard and I'd make the connection between the action of that particular plant and some issue I was having in my body.

Since then, I've found it to be more true than not. And not just with myself, but with other people as well when I'm in their space walking around and identifying wild plants in their yard...and then I ask them if they're having an issue with ___, and usually, that answer is 'yes". Of course, sometimes people don't always know when something's wrong and so I'll ask a few questions to suss out some details, and again...it's usually more correct than not.

And before anyone asks...if I see you have a perfectly manicured, vast expanse of water-sucking green grass and vanilla landscaping without a single weed anywhere...I instantly know you're all kinds of fucked up inside - if not physically, then definitely mentally. 😂

Of course, there's no way of knowing whether any of it's true, but intuitively, it feels true...so I'm honoring it. I'm also totally fine with you thinking it sounds silly.

In any case...that brought me back to my original thought about how I've never felt like I belonged anywhere. And another light bulb moment happened.

What if - like a weed - the things I write about appear to other people who need to read them? I mean...shit...I definitely believe that right now everyone NEEDS to start reconnecting with the land they live on and the plants that grow around them...because in case you haven't been paying attention for the last three years (and really, much longer than that), the system we all currently live in is extremely untenable, unstable, fragile, and corrupt as all get out.

We're all one big solar storm/nuclear war electromagnetic pulse or "la'rona-scamdemic part two" away from societal collapse and utter chaos, and if you don't know how to grow food, find food, or make medicine...well...good luck and godspeed, my friend...you may as well consider yourself zombie food.

But apocalyptic doomsday scenarios aside...it's my sincere hope that the things I write about concerning wild plants and food and medicine-making and living in alignment with nature's principles help you with any health issues you may be experiencing...or maybe inspire you to get outside and be curious about the things growing all around you.

And hopefully...even if in a very small way at first...you'll be willing to reintegrate some of those principles into your own daily practices in the hopes that you rediscover just how truly fucking magical all of this is...you, included.

Because maybe if you can do that... con’t below ⬇️

10.9K viewsedited 02:53