Well, hello there. My name is Morgan Harper-Nichols. I'm an artist and a writer, and this is a space where I share words that I hope can make a little room for you to slow down and take a few deep breaths as you prepare for whatever lies ahead. Thanks for being here today. And now on to today's episode. If you ever happen to see a field of

wildflowers containing more than one species, there is a reason for that. In the book,

Eight Master Lessons from Nature, author Gary Ferguson writes about how

each wildflower has its own strength, and together they create diversity in the landscape.

Some have deeper roots to help them survive during the drought, and others have waxy leaves to contain moisture. Every flower

has different survival strategies, and as a result, they are able to keep the ecosystem going,

surviving through harsh conditions to give the other flowers time to recover. In this book, Ferguson goes on to quote,

the poet Maya Angelou, who advised parents to teach their children this, that in diversity,

there is beauty and there is strength. What I gathered from this is that we cannot survive without each other

and the diversity of our strengths. And we learn from the wildflowers that we belong to each other

and our strengths support one another. And as one of my other favorite poets,

Gwendolyn Brooks wrote in her poem for singer and activist Paul Robison, We are each other's

harvest, we are each other's business, we are each other's magnitude and bond."

Who are we without each other? What is the landscape without diversity?

Here's a little poem that I wrote about wildflowers and what I've been learning from

wildflowers about diversity. May the wide range of wildflowers in this meadow remind you of what your soul

already knows. We are strong in different ways and that is what helps us grow. Together we will grow.

Together we will grow. May the wildflowers forever teach us. Together we will grow.

Our beauty is in our wholeness. Our aliveness is in our togetherness. Thank you so much for listening.

And before we go, I would like to leave you with a question.

You can either journal about this or just carry it with you throughout the day.

How can you embrace diversity today? Thank you so much for listening.

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