leave the leaves

Yes, leave the leaves for birds, bees and other insects. Yes, leave the leaves for soil health. Yes, leave the leaves because they'll support new plant growth.

But let's also leave the leaves for ourselves.

Earth is showing us, showering us, giving us abundance. Always. Why rake that abundance away? Why scour, shove and smash abundance into bags to be discarded? Why partake in rituals that insist on scarcity? Why deny what is generously given?

Even if we don't understand it, even if it seems messy. Maybe instead, be grateful for the exuberant colorful messiness. I suspect this could invite abundance into the parched places in our lives that have become too accustomed to scarcity. How might leaving the leaves provide shelter, nourishment and support for the us that longs to be drenched with the sweet smell of leaves, the kaleidoscopic autumnal palette, the splendorous heaven underfoot and all around?

heart path

While hiking, I came upon a side trail where once before I had stumbled upon deer. I took the detour hoping to catch sight of some. As I walked, I thought, oh heart; let’s call deer with our heart instead of seeking only with our eyes. Although I held an image and sense of deer within my heart, I didn’t see any on the detour.

When the path joined the main trail, all of a sudden, I noticed a deer alongside me. She was on the shoulder where the trail merges into woods. I stopped walking and the deer and I gazed at each other. How long had she been there, beside me, while I crunched the gravel path holding her in my heart? She then crossed barely a meter in front of me and went into the woods on the other side of the path. There, she munched on honeysuckle, still eyeing me. This made me chuckle because I have an affection for honeysuckle. I watched the deer, flooded with gratitude and wonder.

Did the deer hear my heart invite or did my heart invite align with the deer’s path? Does the heart prepare the eye for seeing? For synchronicity? How do we walk with our heart, knowing what we seek is already alongside us?

okra interlude

The sturdy stalks seek the sun as leaves like spread hands spiral up the stalk spine. The creamy white five petaled flowers emerge from leaf stems. They are only in full bloom a day or so. Then the okra pods begin to develop. As okra lengthens, they gently twist the flowers closed. Eventually flowers wilt into tiny caps at the end of pods before falling off.

I took a picture of an okra flower for this post yesterday. Today I realized it didn't do the plant justice and when I went to take another photo it was too late; the flower had already become a cap. What is the point of such a flower with its silky slightly ridged petals, vibrant maroon interior, such luscious detailing? What's the point of such artful ripening, particularly when it is so fleeting?

Okra are self-pollinating, which is to say, they perpetuate themselves through beauty. What's more, their fluttering petals and lush interior draw pollinators eager to cross pollinate, thereby spreading beauty. Okra thrive through beauty. Would that we could understand we do too.