Be Specific

Be Specific The sun was shining on the flower in the window, no, wait, scratch that. The summer sun was shining on the pink rose sitting on the windowsill. Now doesn't that sound better? Natalie Goldberg believes people should be specific. It paints a vivid picture when we do. Buying a book of the names of plants and flowers in her environment was her start to feeling ore connected and grounded to our Earth. To know what you are looking at on the path to your home from school may make you see the world, but in a new, more interesting way. Learn everybody's name. Know what kind of flowers you display at home. Investigate and find out what the air smells like today. Ground yourself and your mind. Goldberg wants you to let her know exactly what is in front of you, the writer. Goldberg's book of all the plants and flowers in her environment intrigued her in so many ways. Walking down the streets of her city, Boulder, she started to notice an amazing amount of new trees and flowers. She read the description of plants and studied every detail trying to match them all up to the real thing. Although she often cheated, she discovered even more. As Goldberg tried to match up descriptions she usually asked the neighbors for names of what they grew. She quickly started to realize no one really knows. She was astounded by the amount of people who had no clue what wild plant they might be harvesting. "When we know the name of something, it brings us closer to the ground" (91) the author said. Goldberg feels different when she knows the name of things. It clears our minds to make a connection between us and the Earth. She feels more alive and awake. The Earth tells a different story when she can name all it's components. She really notices and feels more around her when she can name it. Moreover, Natalie Goldberg refers to a certain author she admires for his way of writing. He paints us an extremely vivid picture with every poem he writes.