Inspiration, Respiration, Whatever - Just Breathe!

In today's world of increasing tensions, we have forgotten how to breathe - to breathe deeply of life's beauty, and to truly comprehend what that beauty means.   We are constantly shallow breathing, gulping at the problems and troubles that surround us, until our poor lungs give up waiting for the healthy air they need in order to open up, and we lose consciousness or awareness.

There is beauty to inhale everywhere we look, if we are focused on seeing it; those beautiful coloured leaves flying through the air, a little bird sitting on a branch singing with all its might;  I am looking down now at the crocheted throw on my lap - each stitch the work of our niece's loving hands;  I let myself breathe in the sound of her infectious laugh.  The act of sorting out the negatives to leave room for those pieces of positive is an essential breathing exercise.   I am even deep breathing the sight of that squirrel who is now running off with our last tomato!

Each season brings its own unique gifts, as do we all; Note to self:  breath in all of their beauty before they move on - at least that's the advice a little violet gave me:

Miss Violet's Wisdom

One bright Spring day,  while gardening,

Amidst my flowering throng,

Pulling weeds,

Planting seeds,

I sang a cheery song;

A bumble bee said, "Pardon Me,

You're picking from my row!   

Move on, move on,

Just get along,

And don't forget your hoe!"

A tiny violet touched my hand,

And said, "For goodness sake!

That bee was rude,

 Such attitude -

He always wants to take;

I love your song,

 I'll nod along;

Why not put down the rake?"

And since the sun was very hot,

I sat down for a break;

"Why all the fuss?", Miss Violet said,

"And why your worried brow?

Don't you see the beauty

That's all around you now?

And, don't you know how lovely

Are the smiles you strew about,

Those cheerful flowers from deep inside,

Are the prettiest, no doubt.

When you think your garden's messy,

That your efforts are in vain,

Remember why you planted it,

What you hoped to gain,

You're a part of life's great chorus,

So smile, and sing again!"

As Green As It Gets!

"That's as green as it's going to get!"   An exasperated cry from our Grandson made us laugh at the time - a good wake-me-up that jolted us out of the serious impatience that we felt one day while sitting behind a slow mover at the starting line of a downtown traffic light.  Why do we insist on treating life as a race, having to get to our goals at the expense of the beauty that passes us by along the way?

  'The goal is the journey'  is an expression that one of our dear friends  used to use at the conclusion of her e-mails;  It always made me stop and re-think the goals that I had planned for that particular day - to give my to-do list a thorough review, to make sure that I was going to be living the day rather than just getting through it.   That difference meant that I made sure to leave some precious time for a creative process of some sort - something that would add a smile, a drop of encouragement, some beauty to the world.  I didn't forget the value of a love-filled baking session as one of those processes either;  It seemed like the perfect work of art on days when sunshine and smiles were at a premium.

  Heading into another week sprinkled with lots of raindrops, and with the grass and garden waiting patiently,  I decided to entice some poetic sunshine to come forth - That's as green as it's going to get today!

After The Rain

After the rain,

There will be light,

And a breeze to lift

The robin's flight;

After the rain,

The sun will shout

 With welcome warmth,

"Come out!  Come out!"

"Shake out your smile,

Add yours to mine,

Let's have some fun -

It's gardening time!"

Just Call Me Smiley!

I'm writing my story - the story of my life - moment by moment with each breath and with every action that I take. 

Day No. 24,646 (How scary is that!):

 I just finished doing a session of Tai Chi - it is a very calming exercise, meditative and thought inspiring.  A voice inside reminded me that one of our basic needs is that of creating something to pass along, of using the inspirations that we receive, to leave our mark, to build up this world in some way. 

"Edie, it said, (how cheeky, using my first name!) What inspired you growing up - a smile perhaps?"

 Well, now that you mention it - Yes, perhaps -  As I call to mind some of the many little moments and sparks that I gathered like treasures and stored in my heart, I realize that they have become a part of me.

  I remember being called 'smiley' when I was a young girl, and of feeling unsure of whether that was a good or bad thing to be - a sign of weakness or of strength?  It seemed that I needed to have an important reason to smile, or it left me looking a little simple.

 As I matured, that smiling thing became more and more of an asset.  I realized that there are no invalid reasons for a true, warm smile, but many reasons to avoid a cruel sneer or a frown -  Those sad faces pull our hearts into a frown as well, and it's very hard to lift our hearts and put it into our efforts if there is a big sad foot stepping on it.  There is much bravery in a soul that finds the strength to lift that foot and smile forth from a heart that is struggling or in pain, yet in that small action, there is healing for the giver and receiver.

I know from my own life's experiences that there are no words that wield as much power to reach out to another, to convey understanding, as the gesture of a genuine smile, and a kind touch on the shoulder in a moment of sadness, difficulty or stress.  Then again, a smile and a hug is even better, and a smile, a hug and a helping hand is the triple crown winner! 

 I wrote a little poem that I want to include in my fourth 'puddle' book that will give tribute to these three gifts:  'A smile, a hug and a helping hand'.

The ability of those gifts to spread out and gain wisdom, love, and new friends as they grow is a positive tool that I hope every child who picks them up will benefit from and use to build up his or her own world, their own life's story.

Now it's time to pull on my work gloves;  This gardener's prayer:  That we all dig into this garden called life, planting seeds of loving thoughts, watering them with a gentle rain of warm hugs, and using our helping hands to pull out the weeds of hate and ignorance; May our garden of smiles grow into strong actions to help in the healing of this precious world so much in need of hope-filled smiles - a bounty for all to share for so many good reasons!

Be Not Afraid - You Are A Masterpiecer!

 

What is a masterpiece?  It takes a healthy mix of humility and courage to walk towards your life's fulfillment; to go where you have yet to go, to create your own unique, imperfect masterpieces.

Perhaps we need to pay more attention to the example that the lowly weed sets:  Weeds are actually unique, and when closely looked at, very intricate masterpieces.  There is no way that any of us can create that same piece of outstanding artistry.   The problem is that they dare to pop up in spaces that do not welcome or encourage them.

  If they had a society for abused weeds -  ‘unwanted’ plants - what would their complaints be?  “Help – We’re being stepped on, our feet chopped off, pulled by the hair, and spoken to quite rudely!  We thought our contribution would be appreciated but, clearly, grass is the only genus welcome."  In our finite human wisdom, we condescendingly insist on helping Mother Nature to correct her obvious errors.

The weeds know better - They are trying to tell us that our soil is actually ideal for them, that poor ‘monsieur grass’ is the one struggling to grow in the wrong spot.   Perhaps I'll stop stressing about not having perfect green carpeting everywhere out there; The patch of wild strawberries that showed up last summer in our back yard, together with bits of moss, are confirming the fact that the soil in that area is acidic – not the best soil for growing a lush lawn, but perfect for wild strawberries, and sorrel (tart but yummy on a cheese sandwich!), in other words, an edible lawn! That is just fine with me; I’m in no hurry to correct that mistake. 

In this larger garden that makes up my life, I'll try to nourish my soil with plenty of that healthy humility-courage mix, and I'll keep the phone number for the Master Gardener handy for those times when my garden becomes muddled, when  my confidence becomes choked out by fear.  I'll try to picture successes as I’m making my inevitable mistakes, and I hope that some day I will look back and, lo and behold, there will be a long lineup of sparkling efforts - an imperfect but beautiful path that others may follow,  learn from, and  improve on. 

I’ll just make sure I sprinkle lots of smile seeds as I go, that I speak kindly to the plants, and that I  try not to correct all of my mistakes too quickly - I may be overlooking some real masterpieces! 

 Oh look - There's another dandelion, and another, and another, and an......  Peace!

A Great Big Warm 'Boot To The Head'!

A Great Big Warm ‘Boot To The Head’!

We could all use one, every once in awhile!  Listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter singing ‘Grow Old Along With Me’ and along came that big fuzzy boot – knocking me on the side of the head and giving my heart a good kick in the process.   It’s amazing what music can do: jolt you back to exact times and places, and bring the people that you love into sharper focus.  My memory, not great at the best of times, (and don’t get me started on names!) is somehow given turbo boost when music is playing.  So many beautiful lives and events come in and out of focus, like precious flowering herbs – balms that have been there to feed and heal my life.

As we get further from our starting point, the map becomes very complicated – and in my case, fuzzy - and we forget where we started out, where we stood when that seed of love was planted in us, encasing a child’s hopeful faith that everything would be bright and beautiful.  It was planted in each of us, and left in our care to nurture and protect – and to fall absolutely in love with.

Lately, my mind is pulling on its own boots, kicking up a fuss and telling me that I’d better add some colour to this grey matter - fast!  Just when I think I have figured out some of the big issues, my spirit gives a big sigh, picks up one of those boots and whack!  ‘Sorry, you have landed on a snake and have to go back and try again to figure life out.’  So, I pick up my humility card and start out afresh with my little bag of hope in tow, picking up new perspectives, new colours for my garden.

That original plant is still calling out as well and patiently waiting for me to stop covering my head, and to notice the ‘with love’ salutations that accompany the boots.

‘Don’t worry about those weeds’, it is saying – ‘just pour on the nourishment!’

Though the road may bring twists, turns, sorrows and challenges, love, wearing its great big fuzzy boots, is ready to take on all challengers.  

“Don’t be afraid of the odd kick, and don’t worry – I am custom-sized just for you – Stay with me - ‘The best is yet to be’.”

Love That Bluegrass!

Love That Bluegrass!

Springtime is seriously knocking on the door, even if today’s cool grey sky is trying to ignore it.  It won’t be much longer, and that got me thinking garden thoughts:  I look back with fondness on many of the planting and weeding days, back on old Padgeberry Farm – not with enough fondness that I would attempt growing the huge quantities of produce and flowers that we tended then. Still, there were some nice bright spots there!  One of them came in the form of tiny sparks of royal blue flowers – Blue eyed grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium (what a long name, for such a short plant!). They held up their hopeful faces, one by one – I liked to think they were smiling at me.  While the weeds in the garden threatened to overwhelm us, my two lovely niece helpers laughed, as I took great delight in talking to, and ‘weeding-in’ the blue grass plants that I discovered there - carefully moving them over, just a tad, out of the way of what I was actually attempting to grow.  Eventually, I had to give up on this well-intentioned exercise, as the sea of blue stretched a little further than manageable – Yes! That worked for me!!   My husband would roll his eyes (once more!) and give up trying to convince me that I should stop wasting my time; that they were just another weed.  I’d say, “Not so – they are just flowers growing in the wrong place(s).  Hats off to those particular weeds!”  The memory still brings a smile to my face; and so do those actual flowers whenever I find them anywhere.   Like the flowers in Dolly Parton’s, “Wildflowers Don’t Care Where They Grow”, a bluegrass gem of a different sort, they certainly don’t ask for much - they just offer their beauty wherever their seeds land.  A lesson to myself:  Whenever I am feeling overcome with the troubling weeds in life that threaten to overwhelm me, I will lift up my face, move those troubles off to the side, just a tad, and transplant smiles all around.  Think bluegrass!