If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.
—Eleanora Duse
—Eleanora Duse
The threshold into my backyard seems impossibly steep. After four weeks of reclining on the couch, leg elevated, I am starting to climb the walls.
I need to dig my feet in the earth again, injury be damned. I need to spend time in my garden. So I practice crabwalking with my crutches, imagine in my mind's eye how it will feel to venture into the great outdoors. "With God as my witness," I tell my Facebook friends, "I'm gonna wiggle my toes in the grass before this weekend's over!"
And guess what?
I did it!
In feeling the sun on my face, a weight is lifted from my shoulders. I am not my present circumstances; I am fully present in this moment.
My zoom lens is my ally. It brings into my field of vision the tiniest of ants. Can you see it, too, nestled into that faded but still beautiful rose petal?
My Hawaiian Blue eyes are winking…a random sprinkling of Felicia Daisies make my heart sing.
"Someone needs to refill the birdbath," this goldfinch seems to say. I'll relay her message to my husband. =:)
I'm not yet able to shift my weight from one foot to the other. And besides, the ground isn't level. But my knee scooter helps me venture further, helps keep me from toppling over. And look! Here's a patch of lisianthus, standing tall.
Jane Goodall once said, " I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of sadness or fear. That's what I believe, and the presence of that spiritual power is very, very strong in the forest." I agree with her, and I believe it's found equally in stands of palm trees and chapparel-covered hillsides.
I find joy in this tangle of Wendy's Wish, Indigo Spires and Black and Blue Salvia. And something else…
Hope, the thing with feathers…
Gorgeous pictures! I can feel how happy you were to FINALLY GET OUTSIDE! 🙂
Everybody needs recess, right? Even as adults, we need to find (and visit repeatedly) our outdoor playgrounds.
Your photos, setting, and spirit are beautiful!
Aw, thanks! I am surrounded by beauty, absolutely, and hey, these boots are made for walkin’… (all apologies to Nancy Sinatra).
Wow! I’m so glad you went outside to drink in the beauty. Your autumn looks a lot like our spring.
We don’t get to see Mother Nature’s autumnal glory in the same way that you do. But every backyard is (or can be) an oasis, beautiful in its own way. I tried, but I can’t begin to describe how restorative it was to wiggle my toes in the grass.
Thanks–me, too! It did me worlds of good. 🙂
Everything here is beautiful ♥
Love your chaparral vista, your goldfinch, your blue, blue flowers, and your hummingbirds.
I love that you ventured into my backyard with me! It’s been far too long, and oh, isn’t it nice to share the view? xo
Such lovely photos. Thank you for sharing.
It’s hard to hold the camera steady while balanced on my scooter. But it’s totally worth it, because now I have another way to bring my garden (the birds and fresh air) indoors. Trust that your view is equally lovely… xo