Monday, March 18, 2024

Spring is Coming

  


Spring is Coming

My backyard is beginning to awaken. The daffodils are flowering across the yard and brightening what had dulled during winter.

The daffies have been spreading over the years. They seem to decide where to plant themselves and then surprise me when they bloom. It’s a pleasure to see the vibrant yellow greeting me when I look out the kitchen window and it feels like the flowers’ energy is present when I do qigong exercises outside on a nice pre-spring day.

A daffodil is seen as a symbol of hope and healing. It feels like an awakening as it begins to bring our thoughts to Spring. It’s almost an invitation to set aside what the winter offered and to welcome what is yet to come.

Lots of symbolism about daffodils:

https://orchidrepublic.com/blogs/flower-facts/flower-facts-daffodils-spring-flower-arrangement-tips

Sunday, February 18, 2024

It's Raining Snow!

 

                                        It’s Raining Snow!

The snow was falling as usual during this time of year, gentle flakes landing on trees and lawns, laying inches of white coating on cars and patios. Inconvenient, perhaps, but lovely to see.  

Then something changed. There was a slight rise in temperature and the snow started melting off the tree branches, splashing down like heavy rain. What was fluffy became squishy, thick and wet. It was very dramatic but shifted what started as an snowstorm into something new – it seemed to be raining snow!

I enjoyed watching the snow change as the temperature changed but it made me think of the way our climate is shifting. So much of our planet is dealing with new weather patterns. At least I was able to enjoy the snow while it lasted.

Here are some questions about what Mother Nature is going through:

  https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/climate-change-frequently-asked-questions/

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Shifting Seasons

 


                        Shifting Seasons

I was moved when I looked at the leafless tree. It seemed to be reaching up to embrace the sky. It will be like that through the winter months, allowing us to see its inner strength before it covers its bareness with beautiful greenery in Spring. 

It reminded me of our hopes that seem so barren in troublesome times, like the world is going through right now. We need to remember that we are strong underneath, that things change and that the world is flexible. If we can hold onto the understanding that life often shifts like the seasons, perhaps the beauty of humanity will come back into season.

 

Friday, December 1, 2023

Not So Ordinary

 


                                Not So Ordinary

The ordinary things that we see are easy to pass by. We take them for granted and move on to whatever is next. But maybe if we allow ourselves to look at things differently, we may notice something new about the usual.

I like to take a walk each day. It’s a simple exercise that gets me out of the house and helps me to see beyond my own walls. Most of the time I just follow the same routine and see the same things though every now and then I’m startled to see a different view of something ordinary.

On one of our trips, the woman who cleaned the rooms put out towels on our bed that looked like swans! It perked us up after a busy, tiring day and encouraged us to be present to what we were seeing.

 The ordinary can be calming because we don’t have to pay it any attention but viewing things in a new way can help us expand ourselves and have fun at the same time.

Artist Helgo Stentzel looks at things from a wonderfully wider perspective:

https://www.helgastentzel.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Monday, November 13, 2023

Goodbye Tree

 

Goodbye Tree

My neighborhood was built up fifty years ago on what was then an apple orchard. Houses were constructed, gardens were planned, people moved in. Maple and oak trees were planted on the grass at the curb in front of each house. Everything looked fresh and growing. We moved in years later, delighted by all that we saw.

But things move on. The trees grew tall and broad and provided the streets with welcome shade on hot summer days. Sometimes, though, their roots pulled up the sidewalk cement. Sometimes their branches rose high up to the wires that provided the houses with electricity. Recently, a crew was out sawing away at one of the mature trees. When the work was finished,  the thick branches and sawed trunk lay on the street, a reminder of how big the tree had grown.  

It was sad. I thanked the tree for sharing its life within our community for so long. Then looking beyond, I could see that new trees, self-planted, were rising down the block. It was a reminder that even though there are challenges, life can be resilient.

Monday, October 30, 2023

Ahh Autumn

 


                                        Ahh, Autumn

It’s officially Autumn. The weather traditionally would be cooling down on its way to greet Winter. But this has been a strange season, weatherwise. Fewer jackets are being worn than expected and it’s not unusual to see kids still in shorts. Temperatures have been way warmer than average. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap the sun’s heat and have been warming Earth’s atmosphere.

It seems like a warmer Fall would alter the timing of when leaves change their color but trees seem to know better. The leaves are glowing with brilliant reds and yellows and starting to fall in huge numbers. I used to like to crunch them when I walked down the street. I still do.

Ahh, Autumn. It remains its beautiful self. Now it’s time to get out the rake and gather the fallen leaves. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

 

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Blue to New

 

Blue to New

The sky was clear blue this morning like a calm sea that you could see deeply through. Later in the afternoon some wispy clouds started to appear, creating a breathtaking impressionistic painting across the sky. Later in the day, the sky was covered with thin, white clouds as if a sheet had been stretched across the trees.

Rain was being predicted for the end of the day and the air seemed to be following the forecast. The white clouds turned darker gray and soon drizzles started to tap on the ground. The rain increased for a while and then the clouds moved on, leaving a new, clear evening to appreciate.

The sky was dramatic as it shifted from clear to cloudy to rainy and back again. The process was hard to ignore. It made me think of how our energy moves throughout the day. Sometimes it is calm and peaceful, sometimes dark and worrisome, but it is always something to observe. Remembering the path of the sky on that day helps me to put things in perspective, to recognize that life moves along and to respect the flow.