Pine Nuts: Making the whole world kin (Opinion)

News News | Jun 9, 2023

Shakespeare had a thought that resonates with me today, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." So it is that my pet jay, Huckleberry, happens to be my touch of nature that makes my whole world kin, and makes me want to be the person Huckleberry thinks I am, forever caring and nurturing.

You might suppose Huckleberry doesn't smile because he has no lips, but he does smile with his eyes, and I get to see that smile three times a day, eight o’clock for breakfast, twelve o’clock for lunch, and five o’clock for Happy Hour, when he gets a Beer Nut.

Like loving a wild animal, we can love eight billion humans when we step outside our homes, step outside our domestic minds. As our mutual friend Mark Twain likes to remind us, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."

A walk in a meadow refreshes one's soul and makes one want to hail a fellow traveler on the other side of that meadow.

I look forward to talking to a conference of State Parks folks from all fifty states in September. I’ve discovered over the years that folks who work on the land are about the nicest, most good-natured folks that the Earth can produce.

Those who are housebound oftentimes have a dog or cat or bird to keep them contented and in a good humor. A songbird outside one's open window can deliver a breath of gladness and good cheer.

The folks with the best temperaments that I have had the pleasure of meeting are the Hawaiians. They tend to spend part of each day in the great out of doors, and as a result, they radiate a spirit of Aloha wherever they go. Mother Nature is a surefire resource for acquiring and maintaining a state of elation.

Should you be feeling a little "pinched" today, perhaps a little irritated with your state of affairs, take a walk on the wild side and get thee to a place in nature where your mind can do the creative thinking necessary to release negative feelings and replace them with the magic that only your own imagination can provide.

I like to think of myself as, "The Five Minute Thoreau," for I can walk to a place in five minutes where I have a view of the Lake of the Sky that is refreshing, revitalizing, and rejuvenating. Whenever I take a friend to that spot, that friend breathes deep, rekindles animal spirits, and sheds the weight of the world.

I’m willing to bet that if we declare a worldwide day of natural beauty, when everyone will take a step into the great outdoors, well, as the Bard suggests, it just might serve to make the whole world kin. Let us celebrate this September first as the inaugural, "Making the Whole World Kin Day."

Learn more about McAvoy Layne at ghostoftwain.com.

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Jun 9, 2023

Jun 9, 2023

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