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I love the dirt, I love to get my hands and feet in the soil and when I can't, I start to feel some what off. I grew up in the countryside in Ireland and I never had any problems with getting dirty, the only problem I have ever had, is staying clean.

No matter where I am, I will always find the local wild spot or that lone tree and go and hang out there for a while. I need to connect with the earth, if not through my feet, then with my hands. The exchange of energy that happens is vital to my well being.

Since I was a child I loved to grow my own food, it is not something I have always done,but I knew that I would always return to it. There is nothing more natural that growing your own.

There is something very sacred about the energy that you give to the seed or seedlings as you plant them in the earth and the hopeful energy that they give to you. These very simple energy exchanges are really vital in helping us remain connected to our natural world. As all things feeds off one another energetically.
This is just one perfect example of that, the beautiful relationship we can have with the food that we grow. This wonderful cycle that we become such an important part of.

Whenever I visited Ireland to be with my sister, I fantasied about having the ability to beam myself back to the land that I live on. To walk barefoot on the earth, to put my hands in the soil and just sit with the olive trees that grow on there.

No one in my family grows there own food and any bit of grass was very manicured. So when I did return home, the first thing I would do is discard my shoes and just allow my feet to connect with the earth. Walking around talking to the trees and at last feeling the heavy burden of my grief lessen, as well as my energy returning.

I am well aware of the many benefits of dirt and soil, I know because I have seen the effects that it has on me. I do not need scientific research to tell me what I already know deep within. But sometimes it is nice to read that finally dirt/soil is getting the recognition that it deserves.

Recently I read about Antidepressant Microbes In Soil. How one naturally occurring bacteria in soil mirrors the effects of prozac. The name of this amazing bacteria is Mycobacterium vaccae and when it is introduced into our bodies,it activates a set of serotonin-releasing neurons in the brain. Yes that wonderful chemical that makes us happy and also improves our immune system.

I love the name Mycobacterium vaccae, because to me it såpeaks plainly how the only vaccination we need is one that is found naturally in the soil.

We can breathe this wonderful bacteria i in or ingest it with our food, obviously organic is best here, as non organic soil is contaminated and also non organic veg is always washed so no soil is ever present.( most people don't trust food unless it is super clean and sterilized) I have always known that being outdoors and working in my garden was beneficial to my mental health for so many different reasons. But reading this really brought home to me how important it is to be outside, to get dirty, to play in the soil and to encourage others to do so also.

So many people, spend so little time outdoors.So that now, the idea of dirt or soil disgusts them, I have witnessed parents freaking out because their children have gotten dirty, passing on this very damaging belief that soil is bad and unhygienic. When in actual fact we need exposure to it if we are to be healthy. The real danger is in the many hygienic products that are being used on a daily basis.

This wonderful bacteria, shows us another hugely beneficial relationship we can have with the earth, it is something we need to preserve. How many people suffer with their mental health and the solution is to lock them away in hospitals, where almost everything they have access to is artificial.

Why are we not taking advantage of the healing properties of nature, of dirt?

The simple answer is because it costs nothing to be outside in nature, there is no monetary gain, to promoting the amazing benefits of spending time in our natural environment.

The answer to so much of our problems today, lies beneath our feet. It is the soil that sustains every living thing on the planet. It is the soil that we need to respect and protect.

How are priorities have shifted over the years, how far removed we have become from our place here on this planet, where we are fearful of what is natural and trust instead in what is toxic to both us and to nature.

I have said this so many times and I will keep saying it because it needs to be heard, 'Nature provides us with everything we need'.

Oh How I Love Dirt

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