Gardens and Life

Gardens and Life--

Each morning I do a "walk-around" of our place.  It is the fresh time of the day.  The time before all the stresses and concerns settle in around each of us.  The world looks inviting and new.  This morning there was a gentle mist hanging in the air.  A breeze pushed the tree branches ever so slightly.  The Hostas were standing tall and proud.  They know how much they are admired for their leaves and size. The gentle giants of my gardens.

Yes, it was a lovely few minutes.  I drank in all the sights and sounds wanting to store them in my memory for the rest of the day.   One thing I notice about the plants and flowers is they don't try to out do one another.  They live in harmony with one another.  If one plant is a little too close to the other, they somehow figure it out.  From where I stand looking at all of the plants, it looks like they co-exist perfectly.  Some are huge.  Others are smaller.  The colors and textures of the leaves and flowers are all different.  It is that difference that makes the garden such a treat. Each one is thriving in the midst of diversity.  If everything were the same, it would be too much of one thing.  Especially since we have over 500 Hosta in our gardens.

Life is like that, isn't it?   What if all food was the same?  What if every morning the only choice was one egg?  What if lunch was a meat and cheese sandwich?  What if dinner was a hamburger?  What if the menu never diversified?  It wouldn't take long before some inventive soul said enough of this and secretly began to produce more choice.  People would flock to that change.  We thrive on choice.  We need it to satisfy our souls.  We are better when choice is before us.  Yes, just because we have choice does not mean that we always make the best one.  But, just like the garden, choice gives us the opportunity to grow in a different environment.  Choice stretches us.  I like that thought.

I find it so easy to be complacent.  To do the same things over and over.  Sometimes I don't realize that I am in that rut until something jolts me out of it.  So much is missed if I don't move into untested waters and stick my toe in.  It is all about being open to seeing the world and all its people through new eyes.  Certainly, we won't embrace each new that places itself in our path.  But, we can at least examine that new and see if it might have something to offer us.  It is possible that by limiting ourselves to what is comfortable, we miss the opportunity to experience the new that refreshes and pushes us.

Each of us has something unique to give to this world.  Each of us has the opportunity to take from others what they are so kindly offering.  Living in peace and harmony among diversity is the goal.  I pray we seek that each day of our lives.

Live well today.