As the day progressed however, and the heavens did not split asunder, nor did the earth open up to devour me whole, I began to suspect that my inkling regarding the nature of the universe and all who dwell therein might have been correct.
You could say that I had a moment of enlightenment.
In that moment, I realized that human beings, at our very core, are good. We are not vengeful, we are not imbued with hate. We are, as the old adage says, "A piece of the universe come alive". And the universe is a magical, glorious, delightfully perfect place.
Each of your comments to me proved this to be true, and for that moment of shared connection I am ever grateful, because it charged me with the strength of conviction to move mountains.
I carried it with me all weekend, and used it to nurture my own seedlings, both literal and metaphorical. I thought about this constantly, about how a moment of clarity channeled such positive emotion, and how in turn that emotion touched every interaction I had.
I was grateful for time away this long weekend, I needed it to recharge, refuel. I needed to spend days outside, from morning until night wandering, wondering, reveling in life's simple and pure pleasures.
We broke out the trusty bikes and went for our first rides of the season - I took shots of Inara (While riding! Don't worry, I was safe!) inaugurating her new recumbent tandem trailer with
NO HANDS !
Simple pleasures are nurturing both inside and out.
Above: Tuscan style baked beans - this is a recipe worth sharing with you in a future post.
A walk through the market turned up new finds...(and you know how I have a penchant for fantastical-looking chairs - this one seemed to be conjured up from the very roots of an old and gnarly tree:)
Fingers beckoning...
"...Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
Thus started the parade of photo-ops made possible by Big Sister's barrette collection, while I died from acute adorableness overload.
Much of our time was spent tending to our own garden, and in the digging and weeding, planting and seeding, there was a certain steady calm.
Along with innocent frivolity that made us smile (and sneeze - darn allergies!).
In these simple acts, I thought about my own seedlings, and how nurturing them with experiences such as these will hopefully allow them to grow up strong and tall, bendable to whichever wind they fancy, yet unbreakable against the storm.
Solemn and Silly. The perfect balance.
I thought about supporting them with stakes of good deeds and kind words, much like you supported me when I laid my thoughts bare.
Even in the tiniest seed there is a miracle, waiting to happen...
I believe that it is through simple kindness and nurturing that we will see our seedlings blossom into reflections of the grand universe, that is theirs for the nurturing in return.
Such a marvelous sight these little seedlings are to behold. They nurture my heart simply by being.
Thank you, universe, for this.
And that.
And this little family.
And of course, for you.