I have spent a lot of time reflecting on nature this year. From reading inspiring books like Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Carbon by Paul Hawken to camping, hiking, fishing, surfing, and ultimately experiencing the healing power of nature with my wife and kids. Focusing my attention on nature this year was both a personal and professional journey, and the result has been a heart filled with wonder and gratitude for nature, which I believe is God’s creation. I believe that God created the heavens, earth, and all life on earth, so nature is a gift from God; and it is our duty to be good stewards of God’s creation. Spending time in nature has taught me some valuable lessons this year, which I would like to share with you.
Lesson #1: Nature Heals Through Love
The first lesson I learned this year is that nature restores us spiritually, and also teaches us that we are all interconnected. Spending time in nature calms our nervous system, ignites creativity, and helps us to stay present. You can’t help but be immersed in the present moment if you close your eyes, take a deep breath and listen to birdsong, even if for only a few seconds, you are not dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future. I also learned that entire ecosystems are built on the backs of the tiniest critters and most unlikely heroes, so taking care of the soil, the smallest insects, and each other is taking care of ourselves because all life on earth is precious and interconnected. If God is love, and nature is God’s creation, then taking care of nature is how we heal the world with love.
Lesson #2: Taking Care of Nature is Taking Care of Ourselves
I have spent enough time camping and fishing to know that nature can be brutal and unforgiving, which is probably why humans have been hell-bent on conquering nature, but now we have reached a time on the life of the planet where our impact needs to be balanced because we are part of nature, not separate. We rely on nature for our entire existence and survival as a species, so prioritizing clean air, clean water, healthy oceans, healthy soils, improved biodiversity and climate action is not a political agenda, it is how we show respect for nature and God’s creation. Taking good care of nature is taking good care of ourselves.
Lesson #3: Nature Teaches Compassion and Gratitude
I am grateful for all of God’s creation. For the beauty of the Lowcountry, for tailing redfish on the flats, and for the fiddler crabs burrowing in the pluff mud. The gravitational pull of our moon creates flood tides here in the Lowcountry and this reminds me that all of creation is interconnected, not just here on earth, but also connected to the heavens, which fills me with wonder and gratitude. Getting more in touch with gratitude through nature also builds compassion for all living things, which helps make the world a better place. Compassion is taught by enduring suffering, and since we all suffer, and we all experience loss, we should strive to become more compassionate towards all life on earth. When we are more compassionate for people, places, and nature’s beauty we open our hearts to be filled with love, which is good, and I would argue enables us to do God’s will. Nature teaches us how to be compassionate and more grateful, which inspires us to take care of nature (and therefore, ourselves) so filling our hearts with love, compassion, and gratitude is divine work.
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World
One of my favorite discoveries this year is the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address that I discovered through reading Braiding Sweetgrass, which is truly indigenous wisdom and a reminder that we have so much to be thankful for. I believe we, as a society, have lost our connection and respect for nature and this Address is a powerful reminder of what we have forgotten. Here’s an excerpt of the first few verses:
“The People
Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people. Now our minds are one.
The Earth Mother
We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks. Now our minds are one.
The Waters
We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water. Now our minds are one.
The Fish
We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks. Now our minds are one.”
The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address teaches us that all life is interconnected, gratitude and respect for the gifts of creation, and how to live with life with intention and love. Because I believe that God is love, and that life is a sacred gift from God, then it is right and good to treat all life on earth the way we would like to be treated.
Thank You
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” – Psalm 24:1
Nature was the inspiration for creating Emerger Strategies in 2016 because I fell in love with nature through fly fishing. By learning about the lifecycle stages of aquatic insects that trout eat, I learned that just as a mayfly, a cutthroat trout, and a river ecosystem are connected, so are our businesses and the planet. If we treat nature well, we will be well, so I set out to help as many brands in the fly fishing and outdoor industry support conservation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize waste, and I am so very thankful for all of Emerger Strategies’ clients who have made my dream a reality.
I would like to thank God for all creation, and thank you, our community, for your support over the years. 2026 will be our tenth year in business, and since our inception in 2016 we have donated 1% of our sales to environmental nonprofits, and helped our reduced our clients operating expenses by over $330,000 while supporting conservation, reducing emissions, and minimizing waste, so thank you to our clients for your business at Emerger Strategies. We have released 85 episodes of The Sustainable Angler podcast with the intention to educate and inspire anglers to take action to protect what they love. The podcast now has over 53,000 downloads, and countless actions taken on behalf of our fisheries, so thank you for listening to The Sustainable Angler podcast. Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey over the years (You know who you are) as I know that nothing is accomplished without the help, sacrifice, and support of others. Finally, thank you to everyone for showing up for public lands, climate action, and protecting what you love. Nature inspires me and fills my heart with love, compassion, and gratitude, which restores my soul.
With gratitude and love,
Rick
