dr. wendy pabich

EDITION #08

Hello, Subscriber First Name,

A lifetime of exploring remote wilderness, rivers, mountains, and shores has gifted me a deep relationship with and respect for water. I’ve come to understand that while we oft speak of managing, measuring, and administering water, in fact, we are missing the point. Water, in all her magnificent forms, magical properties, and mystery, has a tremendous amount to teach us and the capacity to help us heal. In my mind, it is high time for a paradigm shift in the way we seek to solve water issues.

As the West struggles with prolonged drought, I, again, have found myself witnessing the struggles of power, hierarchy, and self-interest that mark the realm of modern water management. This way of being falls in stark contrast to my world view, my energy, the focus of my work.

I prefer the lens of indigenous cultures, who relate to the planet from a place or love and respect. This quote says it all:

Our land is more valuable than your money.

It will last forever.

It will not even perish by the flames of fire.

As long as the sun shines and the waters flow, this land will be here to give life to men and animals.

– Chief Crowfoot, Siksika (1825-1890)

By connecting people with water in more visceral ways—ways that encourage them to grow and heal—it is my hope that people will come to love her, for as Jacque Cousteau famously said, People protect what they love.

With water love,

Wendy

The Power of No

In our consciousness, there are many negative seeds and also many positive seeds. The practice is to avoid watering the negative seeds, and to identify and water the positive seeds every day.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

Water continues to show us that choices matter. Discernment matters. Explicit or implicit, we make choices everyday in where we place our attention (What You Water Thrives), how we shape our environment (Shape a Beautiful Container), the extent to which we follow a path of purpose (Purpose is Power).

In a Women’s Water Circle last week, when asked the question: What does it mean to you to Shape a Beautiful Container?, one woman spoke of the power of saying No. No to what doesn’t serve; No to time commitments taking you from your purpose; No to things that feel out of alignment. And, simply No when you just don’t feel like it.

Anyone who has navigated the endless stream of willful No’s pouring from the mouth of a two-year old differentiating herself from her mother—No, I will not wear that beautiful dress; No, I don’t want the pancakes I just asked you to make; No No No No No—will recognize the power of the primordial No. We were all born with it. And, then, society intervened and ladened us with rules and social norms and family expectations that, quite often, deviate wildly from our heart’s song. Some of these measures are necessary for us to live in civil society; others purely break our hearts. And, yet, so often we comply.

Our discussion of the power of No prompted another woman to share that the need to stay safe while living in a city during Covid, and the resulting isolation, boundaries, and withdrawal, had primed her to say No—so often she had become accustomed to keeping to herself. Her decision to join the Circle that evening had been a very deliberate choice to say Yes. The kind of Yes that requires courage, beckons expansion, and may feel uncomfortable.

Every No we offer is a choice. Every Yes we offer is a choice. A heart-centered No makes room for the things that matter most to you, while a well-chosen (F*ck) Yes provides the opportunity for growth and magic. Choose wisely.

Check out this and other blog posts here.

Rewilding I + II. 24" X 24" X 1.5. Acrylic, China marker, and charcoal on raised wooden panel.

Available for $1,900. Please contact me if you’d like to bring some rewilding to your space.

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“Rewilding has no end points, no view about what a ‘right’ ecosystem or a ‘right’ assemblage of species looks like. It does not strive to produce a health, a meadow, a rainforest, a kelp garden or a coral reef. It lets nature decide. The way they {the ecosystems} evolve cannot be predicted…While conservation often looks to the past…rewilding looks to the future.”

— George Monbiot, Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea, and Human Life

If you feel so inspired, I’d love to hear from you with feedback about the newsletter and what it brings up for you, your own water wisdom, and any other thoughts you’d like to share.