In and Out

How do I pay attention to both my inner and outer life? When I zoom in to see what’s going on inside a California poppy (a triune snail retreat!), I don’t see the big picture.

When I zoom out I can view the vista, but miss the delicacies of Vinca major’s pinwheel petals. As I ponder this, an undulating movement catches my eye: a chartreuse caterpillar whose single inky black “eye” stares back at me. Hmm, like the ebb and flow of the waves, I can seamlessly travel in and out.

A plethora of petals greets me as I peer down at the trail. The inner realm can be disjointed as in dreams…

I look past two pairs of pussy willows to the Pacific. I realize I can quickly change my focus from the silky fur of the flower buds to the not-so-distant ocean. My inner self giggles with glee, while outwardly I appear pensive.

The poppies invite me back “in” as I reflect on their fleeting lives—dewy fresh,

filled with light, open…

I’m zooming out again to the rocky shoreline. Great swathes of red ice plants cover one cliff. Resilient daffodils poke through a web of stems and leaves, their brave yellow faces alert. Wild waves churn and break.

Grassy weeds slither and shake. Does the growth within me work its way to the surface becoming the outer me? Am I prickly or soft? Curious or indifferent?

Back to the poppy. Its petals are open but its stamens curled in self-embrace. Open. Closed. Inner. Outer. I contain all opposites. We all do. It is part of our divine nature, the image given to us by God.

All photos © Sondra Sula.

My most recent daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula, is available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions. It is also sold at the Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino.