An Awakening
I got up, took a shower, and went to Mother’s. My normal weekend trip?
Thought so.
On the way to the store, the hillsides were in view, covered in gorgeous green and dotted with sunshine. The hills in California are not green all the time. In fact, it has been years since we had a green spring. Maybe it was the green, maybe it was the sunshine, but it hit me like a cannonball!
The Store
The herbs and peppers and tomatoes in their plastic pots sat out in front of the store and caught my eye as the hills did earlier.
I have been growing my tomatoes from seeds the past few years, but this year, in the spur of the moment, I bought two plants—different varieties. I also grabbed a small thyme since I believed mine had not survived the
winter craziness.
Got the rest of my groceries and headed home. Ordinary.
The Patio
I went out to the patio and took one of the tomato plants. Once there, I completely forgot the groceries and the other two plants. Wasted no time looking for my small potting shovel. Didn’t find it. Didn’t care.
I put my hands in the dirt, no gloves, just loosened it with my fingers picking out the weeds with their roots connected. The dirt was damp but not sticky…perfect and felt so good. I asked that it be filled with life force as I moved my hands through it, digging all the way to the bottom of the container. Wonderful! Focused. Quiet.
Everything Changed
That’s when everything changed…the light, the intensity of the greens, the clarity of my sight. As I dug the hole for the first tomato plant, I almost had to close my eyes because of the intensity of the color. Took the plant from its plastic container and set it aside to recycle. Then, I worked some of the roots loose to spread out at the bottom and set it in its new home.
I laughed because that is when I realized I left the other two plants in the house with the groceries that were still going to have to wait to be put away. This was just too good to stop.
I grabbed the other tomato and the thyme and went to work on the other hole asking for more life force and for the plants to flourish. I closed my eyes and breathed in the wonderful energy all around me and sent some into each plant. Now time will tell.
After I finished the tomatoes, I cleaned out the leaves and dead stems from my herb basket and was delighted to see small sprigs of thyme and marjoram were poking new heads out. I planted the new thyme in an empty spot.
Then, I moved on to the lavender.
Today it looks much happier than yesterday.
Perception
In just that short time, my perception changed. I felt clear with a deeper connection to Nature than I ever experienced anywhere except in the high mountains of Colorado. Here it was, right in my patio. No need to travel.
It is all around us all the time, we just don’t take the time to find the quiet required to experience it. That intelligent energy permeating the universe, the Source, Nature, God…whatever you call the Divine. Grace surrounds us always, how much we harness makes the difference.
Also published on Medium.
