The following is an extract from a prophetic speech by Chief Seattle of the Squamish Indian Tribe in Washington Territory  in 1854 in response to an appeal to buy the land by treaty.

“How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us.  If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
The white man’s dead forget the country of their birth when they go to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony and man – all belong to the same family.. .
This shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell, you must remember that it is sacred and you must teach your children that it is sacred, and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.

The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children that the rivers are our brothers, and yours, and you must henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give any brother. . There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities. No place to hear the unfurling of leaves in spring or the rustle of insect’s wings. But perhaps it is because I am a savage and do not understand. The chatter seems only to insult the ears”. . .

When I read these words, I remember how much precious richness there is all around us, costing not one cent! Luxury seems to not actually be about having ‘things’ but having time and the ability to notice the pleasures of life free to all. The sun on your back. The sound of bird call. The kindness freely given and received between strangers.

When I lose sight of the small pleasures of life, life becomes a tension. We can use the aerial hammock as an awareness tool to consciously shift perspective, to remember that to relax is to notice the small things. Today I remember the importance of continuing to ‘notice’… even when I am busy, working or focusing on future goals. To notice life around me, to stay connected to life, to stay grateful.