a meditation

Don’t go outside your house to see the flowers.

My friend, don’t bother with that excursion.

Inside your body there are flowers.

One flower has a thousand petals.

That will do for a place to sit. Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beauty inside the body and out of it, before gardens and after gardens. 

                   - Kabir

Kabir speaks about being in touch with the beauty inside ourselves, about going within, sitting with you. His words deeply resonate with me and though the piece is about our inner place, when I close my eyes, the images that float into consciousness are from the many gardens I’ve stood in throughout my life; those places are in me, part of my being.  This week, I’m playing tourist in my own city once again, losing touch with time as I drink in nature on my vacation days. I truly do miss being out of the country this fall however, had I been away I would have failed to see the gorgeous plants and floral displays at the Botanic Gardens; their last day on the grounds was Monday as the landscapers began work on the next project (FYI – some plants are replanted elsewhere, others used as compost)…

 There is a path, complete with fountain, that winds its way between the Hirshhorn Museum and the Smithsonian Castle and leads from the Mall area back out to civilization. It’s like being in another world in there all lush with foliage and flowers…

(yes, the above is a photograph!)

And one of my most favorite places in DC is the rose garden in front of the Castle. I have all sorts of conversations with these girls when I am in their company; they do like to get their picture taken at any stage of life. This space is magnificent and except during the winter, the garden is gloriously in bloom with a full spectrum of color and the fragrance is better than any perfumery…

A familiar stranger commented recently as I snapped a photo, “those flowers will never be as lovely as they are right now” meaning from moment to moment, they, like we, are changing. Walking amongst the gardens, along the water, in the forest, beneath or on top of a mountain with camera in hand is my version of a walking meditation, a way of communing with whatever is before me. When I am out and about in cool or hot, clouds or sun, wind or fog, I am fully present in the moment knowing that tomorrow, the meditation will be markedly different, remarkably new.

But still beautiful…

keep your peepers open!®