According to my recent research, the first step in healing abused and neglected land and cultivating its potential for life will be to “amend the soil.”
A few weeks ago this phrase was new to me, but I’ve read enough now to understand that it means tending to the dirt, fostering the right consistency and nutrients to support everything from microbes to new roots.
“Amend?” my partner asked when I started explaining what I’d learned. “Like, the First Amendment?”
“I think more like, making amends.”