Book: “This One Wild and Precious Life: The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured World”
Written by: Sarah Wilson (@_sarahwilson_)
Published by: Harper Collins
One of the most beautiful things about smoking flower is the way it invites us to slow down and create a sense of ritual. Naturally, Leaf Magazines’ Flower Issue book pick needed to be a great companion to that moment.
Think about how you grind up your flower, deeply inhale its aroma and feel the texture of the buds between your fingertips as you roll. This ceremony is exactly the space Sarah Wilson explores in “This One Wild and Precious Life.” Her approach to presence centers on returning to “wild practices,” which are simple, intentional acts that reconnect us to ourselves, each other and the natural world. Not through productivity hacks or the quest for perfection, but through conscious acts of awareness, community and creativity.
One of these wild practices that resonated deeply with me is Wilson’s call to “become a soul nerd” through a connection with the arts — whether that be classical music, visual arts, poetry or long-form reading. She describes carving out sacred time for this long reading that becomes ritualistic, much like packing a bowl or rolling up with intention:
“Reading deep articles and nonfiction, as well as good literature, cultivates focus and reprograms our neurons. …You might like to try my approach. I set aside time. Sunday afternoons work for me. I take that lull period between morning social activity or chores and the end-of-weekend dialing down and own it. I carve out an hour and sit on the couch. I made a pot of tea. It’s a ritual. It must be a ritual.”
Add your favorite strain, and the scene is set. This is a fast-paced read that you can easily follow with a stoney headspace. Wilson tackles feelings of modern disconnection with head-on honesty and offers grounded ways to combat it. Her conversational writing tone feels more like a wise friend who’s done some wandering and comes back with a notebook full of stories and a little dust on her boots. Happy reading and reflecting, page burners!
