Communities Built on Support

“We’re All Nurse Logs For Each Other.” A saying on a t-shirt in Seattle, Washington.

A tree that grew roots around a disappeared nurse log at Cape Flattery, the northwest tip of the continental United States in the rain forest on the Makah Indian Reservation, Neah Bay, Washington. Photo courtesy of Kaethe Kauffman.

“We’re all nurse logs for each other” is a phrase I saw on a t-shirt recently in Seattle, Washington. Locals understood what this meant. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in a family of campers and hikers. Nurse logs were common in these forests: fallen trees that, over time, welcomed seedlings that sprouted in, and absorbed nutrients from the dead, but still life-giving wood. The old fallen log retained its shape for many years. The plants atop it eventually grew long roots around the former tree to reach the dirt beneath. Some of these roots thickened and became permanent, maintaining their rounded shape, reminiscent of the log that had long since disappeared.

The t-shirt implied that people nurture each other which happens countless times each day. When I drove in traMic, I came home safely because almost all drivers obeyed the rules, assisting all of us on the road.

When hungry, stores provided all I needed, literally feeding my body because thousands of people, from farmers to truck drivers to cashiers have contributed their energies to this ultimate goal.

On a personal level, my friends and family supported me emotionally, psychologically and sometimes physically. After a two-mile hike on a rocky beach, suddenly my ankle rolled on some large stones. In slow motion, my knees buckled and I eventually sat on the bumpy stones. Although unhurt, my bent legs somehow refused to untangle. Luckily my large son immediately extended his hand and pulled me upright. I felt grateful and loved.

If I look, I can find the equivalent of nurse logs everywhere. The words on the t-shirt expanded my awareness of the good we all receive daily.

Written by Kaethe Kauffman