Stephanie Bruno

“Since ancient times, gardens have helped people bridge the gap between doing on the one hand and being on the other.”
― Sue Stuart-Smith, The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature

“A group of anti-government, anti-pluralism, anti-opportunity fascists, oligarchs, and far-right activists are demonizing public school teachers so they can divide the American public and destroy public education as we know it. Teachers aren’t being smeared and undermined because they’re doing anything wrong but because they’re doing something very, very right.”
― Randi Weingarten, Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy

“In this age of climate crisis and separation from nature, we can no longer escape the connection between human nature and green nature, between human health and the health of the planet. How did it ever happen that we did? In ages gone by, people spent time meditating on such truths. They reflected on the mystery of life, and they often did it in a garden. Indeed, the origin of the garden goes back to ancient Persia when gardens provided respite from the desert heat and dust and were designed to nurture life spiritually as well as physically. The dramatic contrast with the harsh, arid surroundings was part of the effect. To sit in the restful shade of a garden accompanied by flowing water and vibrant greenery is an experience of peaceful plenitude that cannot fail to bring with it a sense of gratitude for the flourishing of the earth.”
― Sue Stuart-Smith, The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature

“Wanting beauty is not a shallow impulse. The aesthetic experience can give us awe. It can bring peace. An encounter with a beautiful thing can shift your way of thinking, your way of moving through the world. It can reinforce a sense of connection with the endlessly entangled matter of the universe and it can help ground us within our bodies, creating an anchor tied to the present moment.”
― Katy Kelleher, The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption