Wednesday's Musings

A Community Of Gardeners

I appreciate and applaud the gardeners in my community. Year after year, each faithfully and diligently spends a great deal of time, effort and money beautifying our neighborhoods, and the results are nothing short than fabulous. For many, it’s a labor of love, and I celebrate these artistic visionaries with my photographs, which tell the story of spring.

It’s with the beginning of spring that I make a conscious effort to walk each evening, neighborhood by neighborhood, meditating on the themes of a season that rarely disappoints. The rich colors and alluring aromas gently intoxicate my soul, motivating me while nurturing my creativity and imagination.

Here’s to the many gardeners, in my area and elsewhere that even on a cloudy day can bring sunshine to my world, making my heart happy and my spirit soar.

Let’s all be more mindful of spring’s precious gifts. In other words, take time to stop and smell the flowers, and the best way to do this is by being present in the moment, and by playing outdoors as often as possible. – paerki

Signs

As I travel from neighborhood to neighborhood, there is always something that catches my eye, creating a reoccurring theme of focus and the thought of possibility. With this excursion I was drawn to signage, but not typical, traditional signs that are often manufactured professionally (billboard, restaurant, etc.).

I was more intrigued by makeshift messages left by people on walls, sidewalks, etc., who were in desperate need of being heard. Some were subtle; others in your face. As I pondered their implication I realized once more, how much we need to listen to each other, even when it’s not what we want to hear. Many of us want to know others feel the way we do, a commiserating of the masses – if you will.

For others, it’s about an emotional cleansing, releasing feelings into the world that would otherwise cause entrapment in the mind and create a false sense of security, which most often leads to contempt, anguish and emotional distress. All too often these become barriers for people’s survival. I know this all to well because I’ve witnessed this firsthand with patients I’ve worked with over the years. However, there are select groups who see this as a validation of their existence – a purpose of life, educating others by any means possible, which can often be unsettling.

I sense there is something to be learned here. I think we can all be careless, going about our business without stopping to contemplate the many messages we see in life. I do think we take them all in – consciously or subconsciously, but sadly, we never process their full meaning.

I often believe these communications are metaphors for authenticating our beliefs, educating us about our mistakes and to not make the same one twice, sensing danger, etc. There is so much we miss along the way, and yet there are thousands of signs that we overlook at first only to see later, which leaves many of us saying, “What if?” Too many times it ends up proving our ignorance, arrogance and denial.

It’s time we learn to be better processors of information. Yielding to signs that enhance the good, making it better, and for the bad, contemplating their true meaning because they could be an indication of what’s to come that could leave many confused and ultimately distraught, however, for others, saving a life – maybe yours, possibly mine. – paerki