Walking the tidal flats on a cool spring afternoon, Robert Finch is struck by a fundamental divide between humans and the natural world: for animals and plants, spring is a moment of propulsion, with a clear call forward to migration and renewal. What, he wonders, does spring ask of us?
Robert Finch is taking some time off to write a new book. Until he returns, we're replaying some of our favorite essays. This essay originally aired in April, 2010.