Stop and Pet the Flowers

My sweetie recently took me on a tactile tour of his garden. We touched fuzzy Donkey’s Ears, cool Baby’s Tears and spongy moss. Tiny leaves from a Japanese Maple tree were tender and delicate. Ornamental grasses were fun to tickle.

Nature has a great way of teaching lessons. Did you ever run your fingers along the edge of an Aloe plant. If you go against the pointy bits, it can hurt. But… I doesn’t hurt if you go in the same direction as them. Hmm…

I guess the lesson is, don’t go against the grain. If something hurts you when you approach it a certain way, then go the other way… or maybe avoid it all together. Poison ivy is absolutely beautiful when the leaves turns red in the fall, but of course it leaves an uncomfortable reminder if we get too close. Thorns are a plant’s way of saying, don‘t touch! Even though we know better, we touch them anyway.

. I’ve learned that it’s okay to appreciate interesting things or people, but that does not mean wehave to incorporate them into our lives. If I were to cut a flower,take it home and put it in a vase… it will begin to die the minute it’s cut. I’ll be left with adead dried up reminder of what once was.

Some thing sare better left where they stand. I am learning to appreciate things and people for what they are… to take a moment to pet the flowers, recognize their beauty and then move on.

I am also learning to trust my senses. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s better to walk away with a sincere appreciation of the good parts… without regrets and without hurting myself. Compromising too much of ourselves and enduring pain is not necessary in life.

If something does feel right in my head and my heart, I have learned to trust my instincts, embrace the beauty and realize that I deserve to be happy. It’s natural to be suspicious when something is really good… to expect the worst to happen, but sometimes we are so anxious about it, we miss the potential for the joy right in front of us.

When it’s right, you just know… the way you know about a good melon.