Here’s today’s story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
I was asked to send a little video greeting to a TV show in Serbia to share how I’m spending my summer.
“I’m playing local gigs, working on my memoir, attending an online class that will help me be a better coach, and getting ready for a trip to Croatia to visit my mom,” I said. I stood in my garden in front of my phone camera attached to a microphone stand, carefully placed between the fennel and cucumber plants.
I wanted my sunflowers to be in a shot with me. I’m sure someone on the other side of the earth will watch the video, notice them and their heart will be stirred.
Those sunflowers somehow landed on one of the beds when they were only small seeds. They spent some time just waiting and then one day showed up like fairies. I had no idea they were there, quietly growing, supported, and loved by the tomato and squash plants around them.
One morning I stepped out of the house to greet the day and, as a part of my morning routine, thanked each plant in the garden for being there, growing for me, and for awakening my heart with gratitude for the gift of life in all forms. I noticed them right away.
They were tall, bright yellow, and beautiful. It was as if they came up on behalf of all the plants in my garden to thank me for the little bit of attention and care I give them each day.
Here’s today’s story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
I was asked to send a little video greeting to a TV show in Serbia to share how I’m spending my summer.
“I’m playing local gigs, working on my memoir, attending an online class that will help me be a better coach, and getting ready for a trip to Croatia to visit my mom,” I said. I stood in my garden in front of my phone camera attached to a microphone stand, carefully placed between the fennel and cucumber plants.
I wanted my sunflowers to be in a shot with me. I’m sure someone on the other side of the earth will watch the video, notice them and their heart will be stirred.
Those sunflowers somehow landed on one of the beds when they were only small seeds. They spent some time just waiting and then one day showed up like fairies. I had no idea they were there, quietly growing, supported, and loved by the tomato and squash plants around them.
One morning I stepped out of the house to greet the day and, as a part of my morning routine, thanked each plant in the garden for being there, growing for me, and for awakening my heart with gratitude for the gift of life in all forms. I noticed them right away.
They were tall, bright yellow, and beautiful. It was as if they came up on behalf of all the plants in my garden to thank me for the little bit of attention and care I give them each day.
“Of course, summers are a time when I like to spend more time with kids, and just relax with them.” I continued, smiling into the camera. “And I love getting my hands dirty in my garden.”
I paused. That didn’t sound right. I stopped the video and started over.
“I love getting my hands clean by working in the garden.” I said with a little nod to my plants.
That’s good, my heart said.
My organic garden is the place where I get to clear out my mind and get rid of stress. It’s where my hands pick up a bunch of good bacteria that my body needs to deal with toxins. It IS cleansing. ‘Getting your hands dirty in the garden’ is a no-good phrase LOL…
It’s so refreshing to touch the good soil, to feel the plants and the life energy that cleanses us and creates this abundance of nourishment for the mind, body, and soul.
I placed the equipment back into the house, changed out of my beautiful Bognar & Piccolini blouse, and went on an evening inspection of my little garden.
This year, I got a bit more adventurous. I started a few plants from seeds, I built a small stone patio and planted all kinds of flowers, hastas, herbs, ground covers, and even a hydrangea plant that I’d been wanting for years (they were always expensive, and I was too afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep it alive).
David walked along with me. I showed him the little morning glories that a few days ago were just tiny things. I had made a trellis out of twine, and I was ready to tie them to it.
But they beat me to it; somehow, as small as they were, they found the twine (how in the world did they know it was there???) and already started climbing on it…
David noticed that one of the newly planted mints looked pretty sad. “It looks dead,” he said. I explained that it wasn’t dead, just in shock.
When plants are transplanted, they might shed their leaves and stop the new growth in order to use all the energy to get used to the new environment and establish roots. Once they are stable, they resume their ‘seen’ appearance.
Everything alive on our planet has the intelligence to ‘know’ when and how to grow and when to rest or recover.
“Of course, summers are a time when I like to spend more time with kids, and just relax with them.” I continued, smiling into the camera. “And I love getting my hands dirty in my garden.”
I paused. That didn’t sound right. I stopped the video and started over.
“I love getting my hands clean by working in the garden.” I said with a little nod to my plants.
That’s good, my heart said.
My organic garden is the place where I get to clear out my mind and get rid of stress. It’s where my hands pick up a bunch of good bacteria that my body needs to deal with toxins. It IS cleansing. ‘Getting your hands dirty in the garden’ is a no-good phrase LOL…
It’s so refreshing to touch the good soil, to feel the plants and the life energy that cleanses us and creates this abundance of nourishment for the mind, body, and soul.
I placed the equipment back into the house, changed out of my beautiful Bognar & Piccolini blouse, and went on an evening inspection of my little garden.
This year, I got a bit more adventurous. I started a few plants from seeds, I built a small stone patio and planted all kinds of flowers, hastas, herbs, ground covers, and even a hydrangea plant that I’d been wanting for years (they were always expensive, and I was too afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep it alive).
David walked along with me. I showed him the little morning glories that a few days ago were just tiny things. I had made a trellis out of twine, and I was ready to tie them to it.
But they beat me to it; somehow, as small as they were, they found the twine (how in the world did they know it was there???) and already started climbing on it…
David noticed that one of the newly planted mints looked pretty sad. “It looks dead,” he said. I explained that it wasn’t dead, just in shock.
When plants are transplanted, they might shed their leaves and stop the new growth in order to use all the energy to get used to the new environment and establish roots. Once they are stable, they resume their ‘seen’ appearance.
Everything alive on our planet has the intelligence to ‘know’ when and how to grow and when to rest or recover.
I mused, reflecting on this obvious truth. Humans are the only species that seem to have forgotten that.
We insist on pushing through shock and trauma, we ignore the seasons, the rhythms of the sun and the moon and the stars, and we completely miss the connection with the environment which supports us and provides the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat.
We’ve been abusing our place ‘under the sun’ (on our planet and in our eco-systems), and we wonder why our minds are off-balance, our bodies out of whack and diseased, and our souls feel lost.
David looked at me and said I was turning into a hippie. LOL
I gave him a peace sign and said I’ve always been a hippie. If a hippie means being in love with life and nature and seeing the connection between all creatures and all things and God, then I guess I’m a hippie.
I see no separation, only walls that we build out of arrogance and greed, which then prevent us from seeing the beauty, wonder, and connectedness of it all.
Speaking of connectedness and walls, our recent Kimbro’s gig was just perfect! Thank you all who sent in tips for the band!
We played music of different genres (just like my garden, which is a mix of flowers and different vegetables). Most of our audience were friends and acquaintances.
I knew how different each person was – I knew a bit about their beliefs, and I knew how we would easily find so much to disagree on. But instead, we were there together, singing songs that connected us in our shared pain, hope, and joy.
I sang the song “Window in the Wall” – the song I co-wrote and Olivia Newton-John recorded earlier this year – and felt deep gratitude and optimism for all of us.
We can do this… We can come together after a year that tore us apart.
We can thrive and grow after the season that shook us (and shocked many, traumatized some, and made us all shed some stuff and focus our energy on finding strength in life-giving resources – relationships, family, faith, nature, love, life itself, God).
We can heal on the personal level and as humanity. I know we can.
And the path to healing doesn’t have to be complicated. It can start with simple steps like noticing when sunflowers pop up for us, or when a stranger smiles at us for no reason, and consciously connecting with life that surrounds us.
It can start with spending some time in silence, focusing on your breath, slowing down the activity of your mind and listening to your heart and God.
It can continue with reflecting on some soul questions.
Here are a few (pour yourself a glass of water, take out your journal, sit under a tree and write):
- Who am I (really)?
- What do I want?
- What is my purpose?
- What am I most grateful for?
And here are some more:
- What can you do this weekend to tap into that natural intelligence that goes deeper than our thoughts?
- How can you reconnect with your inner-knowing – or the intelligence that God placed within each of our DNA?
- How do you recognize it and decipher it from the thoughts our busy minds constantly offer (because the mind wants to be ‘in control’ of your life)?
- What does it feel like – and look like – to connect?
- Can you envision a healed world and yourself a compassionate healer? What does that look and feel like?
I mused, reflecting on this obvious truth. Humans are the only species that seem to have forgotten that.
We insist on pushing through shock and trauma, we ignore the seasons, the rhythms of the sun and the moon and the stars, and we completely miss the connection with the environment which supports us and provides the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat.
We’ve been abusing our place ‘under the sun’ (on our planet and in our eco-systems), and we wonder why our minds are off-balance, our bodies out of whack and diseased, and our souls feel lost.
David looked at me and said I was turning into a hippie. LOL
I gave him a peace sign and said I’ve always been a hippie. If a hippie means being in love with life and nature and seeing the connection between all creatures and all things and God, then I guess I’m a hippie.
I see no separation, only walls that we build out of arrogance and greed, which then prevent us from seeing the beauty, wonder, and connectedness of it all.
Speaking of connectedness and walls, our recent Kimbro’s gig was just perfect! Thank you all who sent in tips for the band!
We played music of different genres (just like my garden, which is a mix of flowers and different vegetables). Most of our audience were friends and acquaintances.
I knew how different each person was – I knew a bit about their beliefs, and I knew how we would easily find so much to disagree on. But instead, we were there together, singing songs that connected us in our shared pain, hope, and joy.
I sang the song “Window in the Wall” – the song I co-wrote and Olivia Newton-John recorded earlier this year – and felt deep gratitude and optimism for all of us.
We can do this… We can come together after a year that tore us apart.
We can thrive and grow after the season that shook us (and shocked many, traumatized some, and made us all shed some stuff and focus our energy on finding strength in life-giving resources – relationships, family, faith, nature, love, life itself, God).
We can heal on the personal level and as humanity. I know we can.
And the path to healing doesn’t have to be complicated. It can start with simple steps like noticing when sunflowers pop up for us, or when a stranger smiles at us for no reason, and consciously connecting with life that surrounds us.
It can start with spending some time in silence, focusing on your breath, slowing down the activity of your mind and listening to your heart and God.
It can continue with reflecting on some soul questions.
Here are a few (pour yourself a glass of water, take out your journal, sit under a tree and write):
- Who am I (really)?
- What do I want?
- What is my purpose?
- What am I most grateful for?
And here are some more:
- What can you do this weekend to tap into that natural intelligence that goes deeper than our thoughts?
- How can you reconnect with your inner-knowing – or the intelligence that God placed within each of our DNA?
- How do you recognize it and decipher it from the thoughts our busy minds constantly offer (because the mind wants to be ‘in control’ of your life)?
- What does it feel like – and look like – to connect?
- Can you envision a healed world and yourself a compassionate healer? What does that look and feel like?
Music
This is really just a private link I’m sharing with you – as the sound wasn’t captured well, the video is all broken up due to poor wi-fi, and because our sound guy who showed up late, we didn’t get a chance to rehearse the song, so what you hear is the very first run through of the song. It’s still pretty good. 🙂
This is really just a private link I’m sharing with you – as the sound wasn’t captured well, the video is all broken up due to poor wi-fi, and because our sound guy who showed up late, we didn’t get a chance to rehearse the song, so what you hear is the very first run through of the song. It’s still pretty good. 🙂
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AND live your dream life.
Get weekly emails, exclusive content. special offers and
event updates directly to your inbox.