Sunday afternoon I found myself on a chicken rescue mission with some local friends.

They’d gotten too hot in the sudden spike of weather this weekend, and needed to be relocated to a cooler area… without shocking them into heart-attacks.

One by one, we gently carried these 40+ panting birds into deeper shade, cupping handfuls of water at their beaks, to offer them a drink (which was relieving to watch being slurped up).

Most of them made it. It was a long, hot, dirty day. The kind where you strip on the porch, and put your filthy clothes directly into the laundry. It was also incredibly fulfilling.

But it took 4 adults many hours to do it all. None of us could have done it alone.

And this song by Alay Blakely stayed with me the whole time.

Wildly, I woke up early that morning with this song already on my mind. I can’t speak enough to the power of songs that are now carried in my body… mostly helping me feel less alone.

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The sad fact is that we feel a lot more alone than ever in human history, possibly.

​30% of Americans feel lonely at least once a week.

​The U.S.Surgeon General declared loneliness as a public health epidemic, with roughly 1 in 5 adults experiencing daily loneliness. While we believe technology can be used to connect with others, Americans feel the highest sense of community and belonging among family, friends, and in neighborhoods, with online communities being chosen at only 3%.

So if you’re feeling lonely, despite being in a bunch of online programs, you’re not wrong.

We can’t get what we truly need in the places that we are spending most of our time (online), hence, a loneliness epidemic in one of the most “connected” eras in human history,

But we do need these digital spaces to find others like us, good information and support, sometimes.

One of the biggest takeaways from the “Plan Your EarthCare Journey” workshop was that we’re not alone on this path. Attendees said it felt like a huge wave of relief - “there are many people who care as much as I do and are actively making the effort to make a positive difference,” and that “there are more like-minded people than I realized.”

And there’s data to back that up too - which I found online :)

• 17% of U.S. adults are purchasing plants that are native to their region
• 12% are converting parts of their lawn to a natural or wildflower landscape.
• 28% are purchasing plants that are beneficial for native bees, butterflies and birds.

Isn’t that such a relief?!

You do not carry this all alone.

There are likely people in your neighborhood or bioregion secretly letting their lawns go wild, learning the names of native plants, leaving the leaves, and learning to listen to the land.

If you happen to notice them, I encourage you to say hello, thank them for what they are doing, or stop and help them pull weeds (or save chickens)!

Building real relationships - connection with Nature and our neighbors - is one of the core tenets of EarthCare. This often begins with acts of service and support, which doubles as a way to get more active and learn things at the same time.

The point is that the ecosystem of people doing this work is bigger than you might think, and finding each other is an essential part of the process.

I built the EarthCare Journey to create a space for us to come together, celebrate the seasons, and find inspiration in the difference each of us is making in our own Places (among other things).

I am not claiming all you need to do is show up to a live call once a season and our collective loneliness will dissipate. The program is designed to be intentionally light on virtual meetings, while encouraging you to get more involved in your local land-based communities.

My goal is to help you find the people, places and projects that align with your journey.

Maybe that will be your local CSA farmer or the folks raising chickens nearby. Maybe it will be someone building a bird habitat or growing a wildflower meadow in a public park.

When we connect with others who are doing what they can to make a difference, we feel less alone in our efforts to do the same, and suddenly we are all bolstered and more capable than we ever realized.

Whether you join the EarthCare Journey or not, I hope you take one small step to connect in your local community and remember -

You do not carry this alone.

Kendra

Ps. Check in on your friends with chickens. Chances are they need you. For real.

Pps. For my creative entrepreneurial folks, I will be co-hosting a live, in-person, daylong retreat to connect with Nature, our Visions, and others like us, on June 14th with Zoe of Wild Minds. Click here if that sounds like your thing! And SAVE THE DATE. More info TBD.

But that event is only one day.

​Join me in the EarthCare Journey for connection all year <3 ​

This is the very last call for newsletter subscribers to join the Spring 2026 Founding Circle at 50% off. Use code ECJ50. I extended it a day for you, but we meet live in 2 days, so this is the final final call <3

Written by a human - Kendra Marie Hoffman