The Point

I felt slightly agitated when I began my walk. The day had gotten away from me and it was almost dinner time, but I felt if I didn’t squeeze in the time now, I would lie in bed that night, full of regret.

I’m not sure why I put off things I enjoy doing. My “walks of wonder” are at the top of my list, along with other spiritual practices, and yet I usually feel guilty spending my time this way. However, at day’s end, I almost always feel that these events were the most important.

My irritation began to dissipate immediately upon seeing a spike of irresistibly cheerful yellow flowers. When I turned the corner and spied a garland of small purple lanterns, I forgot all about feeling unhappy and simply wanted to set up a garden tea party under their floral luminescence. But whom would I invite?

A yellow jacket caught my eye and seemed to say: hey, what about me? I’ll go. And a honey bee on a matilija poppy offered to stop collecting pollen for a while to imbibe some sweet tea.

A cluster of fuchsia joined in the fun as chandeliers, their intense color adding to the radiant glow, while a silvery green carpet of tightly packed miniature gazania leaves provided a soft, spongy place to rest.

The final attendees were the most bristly of all—spiny cactus, a thorny-stemmed plant and barbed pine cones. They reminded me that only minutes before I was grumpy, prickly to the touch. It may not have been the dinner I was planning, but the lesson sure was sweet.

All photos © Sondra Sula.