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The Year of Listening Carefully, With Kurt Hoelting
There's adventure in local living!
© Jane Wagner
Writer Kurt Hoelting spent a year not driving his car, or riding in a jet, to reduce his use of fossil fuels. During his adventure in local living, he made an important discovery: “I noticed, maybe six weeks into the year, that I could really begin to feel the pace of my own body slowing down – that inner residue of hurry and restlessness was gradually seeping out of my nervous system.” This new state of peace allowed Kurt to deepen his connection with birds and nature.
The soundscape featured in today’s show was recorded by Gordon Hempton and provided courtesy of QuietPlanet.com.
BirdNote®
The Year of Listening Carefully
Featuring Kurt Hoelting
Interview and story by Chris Peterson
This is BirdNote!
[Northwest Washington/Southeast Alaska ambient, waves lapping]
Writer Kurt Hoelting [HOL-ting] spent a year not driving his car, or riding in a jet, to reduce his use of fossil fuels. And during his adventure in local living, he made important discoveries.
“I noticed, maybe six weeks into the year, that I could really begin to feel the pace of my own body slowing down – that inner residue of hurry and restlessness, was gradually seeping out of my nervous system.”
[Inside surf, crickets, lapping, and gulls]
“I became more aware than ever of how the soundscape, how the ‘aliveness’ of the immediate surrounding territory, really holds us and deepens our experience of being human, when we’re willing to just slow down and listen in this kind of way.”
“One of my favorite writers, from Southeast Alaska, from Sitka, is Richard Nelson. I love what he says in “The Island Within.” He says:
“What makes a place special is the way it buries itself inside the heart, not whether it’s flat or rugged, rich or austere, wet or arid, gentle or harsh, [warm or cold, wild or tame]. Every place, like every person, is elevated by the love and respect shown toward it, and by the way in which its bounty is received.”
[Rain on puddles and call of the Varied Thrush]
The soundscape featured in today’s show was recorded by Gordon Hempton and provided courtesy of QuietPlanet.com. For more about Kurt Hoelting’s year, begin at birdnote.org.
[Go out with call of Varied Thrush and Pacific Northwest rain]
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Waves from Nature SFX sound #21; inside surf waves NW and SE Alaska, gulls; Varied Thrush and rain on puddle wav files, recorded by Gordon Hempton, of QuietPlanet.com.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2013 Tune In to Nature.org September 2013 Narrator: Mary McCann
ID# hoeltingk-02-2013-09-27hoeltingk-02 Marantz 1 Tracks 53 & 54
“The Island Within”by Richard Nelson, Random House, 1991. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/opinion/sunday/climate-warnings-growi…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezt4YIFqUZE
http://insidepassages.com/http://www.terrain.org/reviews/26/circumference_of_home.htm
