“Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment.” – Rumi
My commute home from work consists of a ten minute walk through a garden, an avenue of trees, a field and a tiny path through some woods. We’ve been here for about five months now, and I have yet to take it for granted. It feels so special that on my very first walk, even though it was my first day and I was nervous, I whispered a greeting to several of the trees. (I have been known to talk to things in the past, but these trees in particular compelled my attention. I think they actually greeted me first.)
In the months since, I have gotten to know the residents of my walk quite well. We whisper to each other, and share the beginning and end of the day in quiet companionship. Yesterday on my walk home, though, something was different. Creating this website has already begun to change me. I have been paying far closer attention to my life, and trying to be more conscious in my thoughts and deeds. Yesterday the air was cold the way that only October air can be. The late afternoon light was shining golden through the all of the layers of copper and green and yellow and brown all around me. I walked up a slight rise and noticed a single white dandelion standing alone on the top of the hill, silhouetted against the group of dark trees. It sounds so simple but at that moment I had to stop and catch my breath. I felt connected: deep, dark, ancient, golden connection.
I read a poem once about trees. I can’t remember much about it, but I remember that it said that a tree’s reality was deeper and slower than ours and that we had to slow down if we wanted to make their acquaintance. I hope that whatever season it is in your world, that you are able to make friends with a tree today. I think you will find that it will appreciate the effort.
Oh, and send it my love!
xo
This morning as I was vacuuming, I “sucked” something up. I heard it rattle and clatter through the pipe as it headed for the bag. This is an event normally unworthy of a blog post, but it was the thing that happened next that surprised me: in that moment I went straight back to being ten years old.