“Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.”
― Brian Andreas
I dive into a new project.
One day at a time.
Peach Season
"The walls were wet and sticky, and peach juice was dripping from the ceiling. James opened his mouth and caught some of it on his tongue. It tasted delicious."
— Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach)
peach season
I am of the mind that peaches should not be bought at grocery stores. One must seek out fresh picked ones from a farm stand, or better yet, pick it fresh off the tree yourself. They are scarce this year, a late frost hitting the orchards on the east side of our state so my local farm stand is hit and miss. This one was worth the wait.
***
in the moment
“Life only unfolds in moments. The healing power of mindfulness lies in living each of those moments as fully as we can,
accepting it as it is as we open to what comes next—in the next moment of now.”
― Jon Kabat-Zinn
harvest
He comes to spend the night. He helps with the daily harvest, slays bubbles, and fills my heart with so much joy. At bedtime he convinces me to read just one more book, (please Gramma), over and over, until I finally put my foot down because I am so exhausted. But come morning, I can hardly wait until he wakes up.
I wake this morning, on my 70th birthday, with no plans, no expectations, and no regrets. Each event, every bump in the road, every disappointment and celebration, has shaped me into who I am today, and fighting that has not worked out well for me. I decide instead to do my best to live in the moment, all the moments, trying not to fight, but rather take note.
***
snakes in the garden
Every great story seems to begin with a snake.
- Nicolas Cage
I fell yesterday morning in the garden. I was watering and came upon a snake. While backing away I tripped and fell. I knew I was going down and was able to focus enough that I actually sat down, but the momentum kept going and I fell backwards, hitting the back of my head against the concert wall of the garden bed behind me. Your head bleeds terribly, and by the time I was up and out of garden, blood was flowing down my neck. My husband came running and helped me clean it up. In truth it looks like a scraped knee, shallow little scrapes and nothing serious.
Somehow this little scare shook me up in a good way, I am not sure why, but I am going to run with it. This is the sixth snake I have had in my garden this year. I am now convinced they are crawling rampantly underneath our beautiful patio. I am sending my husband out to pick the beans today!
food for thought
“In the middle of the night, things well up from the past that are not always cause for rejoicing--the unsolved, the painful encounters, the mistakes, the reasons for shame or woe. But all, good or bad, give me food for thought, food to grow on.”
― May Sarton, At Seventy: A Journal
The last couple of weeks have been challenging. I find myself wallowing in the past, unable to find my way clear of the sorrow that envelops me. I fight hard to move forward, relying on old routines and strategies to work my way through this bout of depression, but if I am truthful, I am on auto pilot, doing the same things over and over again, hoping for a different outcome.
It is not that I can’t find beauty and joy in the world, for I can, after all it is tomato season! But dang, the jousting that goes on inside my head is a killjoy, and all consuming. I am exhausted. So, I have made of list of ways that I might reclaim the way I live my life, no apologies allowed. A clean slate if you will, as I walk into my 70’s, before I run out of time.