"biophilia"

Merriam-Webster's word of the day yesterday was biophilia...
"The term "biophilia" was popularized by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in the 1960s. In his work, he used the word (from "bio-," meaning "life," and "-philia," meaning "friendly feeling toward") to describe the biological drive toward self-preservation. In the late 1970s, American biologist Edward O. Wilson extended the word's meaning, seeing it as the perfect word for "the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms." Recently, "biophilia" has been in the news as the title of Icelandic singer Bjōrk's latest project, a multimedia production that (according to the website for the Manchester International Festival) "celebrates how sound works in nature, exploring the infinite expanse of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure."

driving through the redwoods a few days ago I remarked to my daughter that I always felt at home and secure when in the woods (whether Vermont, California or elsewhere) and when leaving the redwood forest (or others) I always felt a (sometimes overwhelming) sense of loss... and then biophilia came up as the word of the day yesterday... fitting!


my daughter and tree as we were out taking a walk...

In having biophilia! Love this photo, too!

Seriously, I much prefer taking nature photos to anything else.