The Call

In the words of Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Musings on Mesclun and Aging

I dedicated one of my small raised beds to Mesclun to which I added an extra package of Arugula seeds as well as some left over lettuce seeds so my bed should be very dense with greens! I'll enclose a picture of my new sprouts along with my tomatoes. Tomatoes in April!! Thanks to our sunroom. We have had so much rain lately that I "tented" my two small beds to not only keep the rain from flooding them but to help warm them. My other small bed is planted with a new red Kale in the center area with golden and red beets around the perimeter. I love to sculpt my garden beds with color and texture.

My friend commented the other day concerning their alarm at the aging process and the toll it seems to be taking on their body. It has stayed with me because I have some theories about aging: We grow up learning to worship perfection: clear skin, shapely bodies, great strength, etc. Our ego craves the illusion that without those attributes, no one would value us or love us so we continually chase the phantom of outward beauty to the exclusion of developing, nurturing and valuing our inner beauty. I had a first-hand experience with this in 2000 in Huntington Beach. If you recall, I came down with a mysterious illness that we attributed to mouse droppings (Hunta virus, or something). As a result I became so weak that I couldn't walk without help! It made me realize how much emphasis that I had placed on my physical abilities as my true identity, who I was, was linked to my physical body. I was reminded of Steve Reeves, Superman, who became a quadriplegic. As I have aged, crinkled skin, age spots, loss of teeth, thinning hair, decrease in libido, etc., etc., I have begun to get in touch with the real me who is the person who looks back at you in a mirror. I am strengthened by the fact that Charlotte still loves me the same or more, despite my physical condition. I think aging is Spirit's way of defusing Ego, of humbling us into appreciating our inner beauty. Your aging concerns are an opportunity to learn how deeply your loved ones love the real you. Let's face it, concerning the alternative, what choice do we have?!! Have a blessed day.
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