38thnotes covers Bay Area hip-hop culture, but there is beauty that surrounds us that isn’t captured in that net. I love Oakland like family and I know many others who share that conviction, but we often take more pride in the war, than the beauty. One of the blessings of living in the Bay Area is that we are surrounded by natural magnificence. We are perched on the Pacific coast, bathed in the Frisco Bay, enshrouded by rolling fog and crowned with majestic redwoods. This Oakland is our land, but this side of it often goes unnoticed.
Thankfully, filmmaker Jesse Rosten put together a stunning tribute to one of our natural neighbors, the majestic Redwood groves of Northern California. Featuring Rosten’s beautiful cinematography and the poetic prose and narration of Kallie Markle, “Growing Is Forever” views like a spiritual experience. It’s an homage to the towering trees that have stood in their stead for thousands of years, but it is also about growth and stillness.
“Growing is Forever” leaves you calm and contemplative. For me it reminded me of the Redwood tree that has always stood tall in my back yard, the annual tree plantings we did for a family friend who was killed, and the llama pack trips I used to go on in the shadows of Mount Shasta. We are so distracted by our city life and the concrete that covers it, that we often forget our roots. We all came from the land at some point. Whether our ancestors were farmers, sharecroppers, hunters, gatherers, cowboys, traders or frontiersman– the work, modes of travel and the spaciousness of this expanding country necessitated a relationship with Mother Nature. We’ve become somewhat lost in that regard.
Let “Growing Is Forever” remind you of the beauty in your own backyard and let the zen-like wisdom it emanates urge you to slow down and explore yourself and the natural world that surrounds you.
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