The end of March: my youngest grandson’s birthday is tomorrow; my novel, Woman Alone, is with the publisher; taxes are finished; and we are one third of the way through 2018 before I’ve had time to adjust to it even being 2018. My youngest grandson turns eleven, and my oldest grandson will start high school this fall. It feels to me that the days literally fly by me, and there is so much living I’ve yet to do. I have learned that living fully depends on my ability to be present in each moment, also known as being mindful.
Standing by the Wisteria, I’m hoping to see it in full bloom this year. For the last two years it has been nipped in the bud. It makes me think how fragile beauty is, how fleeting.
This, then, reminds me that beauty that lasts must radiate from within. It is the nurturing of that inner glow, the light reflected from source that sustains all that is sustainable in this life. Being present is also a powerful aspect of nurturing that inner glow and connecting with source.
So, as the earth is coming back to life after a long winter, as plants spring forth then bud and bloom, stop and really see it all. Take it in. Draw it, paint it, photograph it if you must. But most of all, stop and see it. Look deeply into the depths of the opening bud. Breath in its fragrance. Point it out to others who might be too busy to stop on their own.
We are far too busy in our culture, too caught up in doing. Take that moment to be present; just be….and smell the flowers.