rest

it's funny....in spring, the first hints of green struggle to push through the white snow...first the snowdrops, then the blaze of daffodils, then as the sun begins to warm to the idea - green bursts through. buds pop open revealing unfurling leaves...tulips and lilys and hostas all vie for space in my garden. the irises, with their heavy heads, open for a short while, then bow under the weight of their beauty. soon gone, leaving a memory of brilliance and wonder. bees buzz, dragonflies languish casually on my roses, or fly curiously around my hummingbird feeder...their opalescent wings glinting blues and greens. then, as fall approaches, one last push for the ultimate sensory show - brillant reds and yellows and oranges light the treetops and my woodspath. crisp mornings and evenings bring a piney musky earthy smell to my nostrils as fallen leaves begin the cycle back to dust. it is during that change of the earth's cycle that i am the most energized and creative. sleep comes in short catnaps - i don't want to miss a moment....fall is too fast to pass. the winter comes too soon, bringing rest to nature after all this exhuberance. and rest comes to me as well...my art takes on a less frenzied pace. my materials of choice - softer. felt and fiber replace metal and wood and rust. following the earth's cycle. following the internal clock. we all have an internal clock...times when we are energized and "in the zone" and also times when the body says "rest." much can be learned during each of those times...the energetic times when the ideas flow like the melting ice down a waterfall. the quieter times when we reflect on what we've learned, what we've accomplished, what we hope to reach for next as we, like spring buds, push through the restful blanket that time has allowed and stretch and grow within ourselves. to the snowdrop, it's just doing what nature intended - what it was put here to do. no big mystery to the snowdrop that it follows the cycle that was programmed into it at it's creation. it just does it. for us, maybe a little more difficult. but is it? taking that time to rest and reflect....to listen to our hearts, souls, our instincts. yes, we have a few more responsibilities and choices and places to be than a snowdrop. but on a certain level, i do believe that each of us has an intended purpose here. we aren't just "another person on the planet." what that purpose is, sometimes is obvious, sometimes not. we can look at Mother Theresa's life and say well, of course. but it may be harder to see our purpose within ourselves. and maybe our individual purpose isn't quite as grandiose or public as hers. maybe we are just to be that reliable friend or son or daughter that can be counted on for a safe haven - a touchstone of quiet for a moment. a person that makes you feel better about yourself just by coming in contact with them. or maybe you are the motivator - the person who kicks others in the seat of the pants and gets them going to reach their next level of potential. or maybe your purpose is greatness. i think each of those characteristics is greatness. maybe not public greatness. but greatness all the same. for we need each other in ways we may not imagine or know. we need to "touch base" with that calm, happy person for a moments respite and to gauge ourselves against those quiet calm waters. we need that motivator to keep us from staying too long in that comfortable spot with no challenges and no growth. yes, we need the Mother Theresas in a global sense also, but as technology broadens our sense of what defines "our" world, we are still responsible for our little corner of it. i remember going to my first job interview - "just be yourself" was the advise. seems so simple and frustratingly inadequate. yet, by being ourselves, in the truest purest way we can, we are fulfilling our purpose. (i sometimes think that being myself may be a little scary for those around me! but we all know someone like that.). so go about your day, your lives mindfully. savor the smells, the tastes, the sights that are given to you freely from nature as she fulfills her potential. but also take a small winter here and there to reflect and wonder where is your path? when is your spring? your fall? your summer? each spring is a new spring...new leaves, new buds, new blooms. now, as the leaves are mostly brown and yellow, what will you prune and mulch so it will grow stronger and more brilliant in the spring? L.