In Bill’s garden (Lori Erickson photo)
Those of you who took my challenge to interweave your year with gratitude may have noticed I’m a month behind in giving an update from Angeles Arrien’s book Living in Gratitude
In the June chapter, Arrien writes of the power of equanimity. These weeks mark the middle point of the year, which is a natural time to do a course correction if we’ve wandered off track. That’s why vacations–another feature of midsummer–can be so important. By vacating our lives for a time, we gain perspective and renew our creativity. Arrien quotes Lao-tsu to illustrate the attitude we would do well to cultivate:
If you look to others for fulfillment
you will never be truly fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with yourself.
Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize nothing is lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
Bill’s daylilies (Lori Erickson photo)
In thinking about these matters, I find myself recalling recent visits with two friends who are avid gardeners. Both spoke of how gardening takes them outside of themselves, shifting the focus to something other than their own concerns and cares. There’s always more to do, and yet there’s something liberating in that realization, because since you can’t get it all done anyway, you may as well enjoy the process along the way. “Gardening is good for the soul,” Brian said (and I suspect that as a geologist, he’s not one normally given to theological speculations).
I’m including several photos from another friend with a wondrous garden. Bill’s backyard, set amid deep woods, opens into a glorious panorama of daylilies. Bill doesn’t just grow the flowers, but also breeds and hybridizes them, constantly tinkering and tweeking and experimenting to find new varieties. When I asked him why he chose to concentrate on daylilies, he said that no other flower provides such a riotous splash of color. As an artist, Bill has made his garden into another palette for his creativity.
This last picture was done with the “water color” setting on my camera. That’s perhaps cheating a bit, but somehow it conveys the feel of Bill’s garden more than a conventional shot. It’s a place to be content, savoring life just as it is.
Bill’s daylilies (Lori Erickson photo)
“…since you can’t get it all done anyway, you may as well enjoy the process along the way.” That is the perfect explanation for why both housework and disaster work are not onerous but gratifying and rewarding. And gardening is work yet offers the added delight of being outdoors.
I anticipated a Bob-reference as I recall what lovely yards you and your neighbor enjoy. I imagine a Beautiful Backyard Borders by Bob, Bill & Brian!
Thanks Holy Rover; I am deeply grateful for your blog which you tend and nurture so well.
AS ALWAYS, you give me so much to think about, Holy Rover. Thank you also for the wonderful photographs. Truly magical!
I wish my camera had a water-color setting!
Thank you, as always.
You made Brian laugh out loud! You could not have captured his essence more perfectly. This is a strange, strange year. A year to appreciate every single bloom and every vegetable that bravely stays green and produces food. We are all weathering, if not withering under, the unusual dryness and heat.
My geraniums, though, are thriving. There isn’t a day that they don’t make me smile, reminding me of the window boxes in the south of France, where as a young 20, I first became aware of them as an actual flower that people plant. I’ve rarely been without them since. I will imagine myself a geranium as I keep venturing out of my house (Does one get cabin fever in the summer?) to do my daily round, certainly not as bright and steady, but out-there.
I’m still continuing the Gratitude book month by month with you and falling short every month. I love your insights on the book….