Happy Day 6! How is it going for those of you out there who are joining me (either in the privacy of your own minds or publicly with your posts?). For me, it has been such a comfort for my brain to kind of acknowledge and shut down the wildness going on in our world, while rerouting my thoughts which are now in active, hot pursuit of something good. My eyes are wide open to spot something beautiful. Something moving. Something sweet. My ears are perked for kid giggles and bird songs. My heart is wide open again….but not in a vulnerable, under attack from the news/life/emotions-of-others kind of way, but rather in a hopeful, seeking, positive way. That alone is a great comfort.
Baby Caterpillars and the Importance of Beautiful Visits
We are home from the beach now and we awoke to water our flowers and skim the pool and do the chores. My ears were met with wild shouts and a chorus of, “Mom!!!! Come quick!!!” I ran over to see what was so exciting and found our potted parsley (still kicking from our tower garden harvest that was planted last November, but which just kept producing so we planted it in dirt). Upon it was what appeared to be a new crop of recently-hatched eggs, from a black swallowtail butterfly. There were caterpillars of various sizes all munching away on what little was left of our humble parsley plant. They were everywhere. It was wild.
It’s so funny because this summer, we have seen countless monarch and black and yellow swallowtail butterflies and moths of multiple varieties floating around lazily, grazing on our butterfly bushes and sunflowers and lavender. They’re casual, and pretty to look at, but what a sight it was to realize that actually, that whole time, they’ve been hard at work. These little carefree-seeming visits to our backyard gardens, surprisingly, have been secretly productive. They’ve brought about new life and new energy and new future-butterflies.
This made me think about the visits we have with people and while they might, to some, appear casual and breezy, underneath it all, in a deep emotional way, these visits breathe new life and new energy into our souls. Today I got to sit outside and sip coffee with another friend, this one is an older friend, but one who I haven’t seen in months. My daughter too got to spend time today, outside, for a few hours with her very best friend. A friend she has not seen since the beginning of summer. They are together now and I’m listening to their laughter, the giddiness in their voices. I’m seeing the spring in her step and the bounce of her hair as she hops here and there, with her smile shining so bright from the inside out. That time with my friend today, we cried. We cracked up. We listened. We shared the awe and wonder and uncertainty and disappointment of this insane period of time. When we said goodbye and parted ways, my heart felt light. New life again breathed into my lungs. It was cathartic. There was an active exchange of energy, even though we sat and distantly sipped coffee and the exchange might have appeared to an onlooker to be passive. Something was happening there. Something magical and quiet and invisible to the naked eye. Something deep and profound, and something that has been absent or elusive to me for much of this pandemic experience. Connecting in real time, face to face, without a screen or a mask to separate, is a truly beautiful thing. It is a gift. And one that I think I had taken for granted prior to all of this.
It’s good to take a moment once in a while to think about the gardens we frequent, the souls we come in contact with each day and the energy we deposit as we flutter through life. If we are kind, and good, and open, and aware, we can leave in our wake new life, fresh ideas, calm hearts, a shared connection. The beginning of something new. If we aren’t careful, though, we can also leave behind after a visit an air of stress or anger or hurt or an invitation to question decisions. I think just taking a moment to acknowledge the exchange of energy that takes place when we do come in contact with humans is a blessing. Surrendering to that power and receiving and giving the highest value of goodness we can muster is a true present to this entire world.
I miss my friends. So much. And I hope to do a better job of finding opportunities for us to connect however we can. I am going to put effort into become more aware of the energy I bring into a room, and I encourage you to deposit new ideas or thoughts or positive emotions wherever you go. You never know what might be born of your visit to the gardens you frequent in your own worlds.
Care to share your thoughts?