A Very Fine Line

I often ruminate about the very fine line
between being lazy and just “being.”
When I see a plant in our yard
I might think: I need to water that; I need to prune that.
Or I might think: Look at that design — how intricate!
One thought is causing me to feel uneasy, judged, lazy.
The other thought is causing me to feel wonder-filled, amazed, rich.
The former thought requires action,
while the latter thought requires nothing of me.
However, something strange happens with the observing thought — a feeling of gratitude wells up naturally within my soul.
Am I “being” or am I being lazy? Because I still haven’t watered the plant or pruned the tree.
Yet I’m no longer particularly interested in the difference.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Plant Talk

Can there be communication without language?
Of course.
Plants may not talk to us directly
but their colors and shapes trigger an emotional response within us.
Who hasn’t been cheered by a bright blossom
or soothed by the cool greenness of tender foliage?
When I see a fruit tree blossom I feel the promise of something ripe and edible forming in the near future.
Creation communicates so much to us: the cycles of birth and death.
The concept of growth through something as tiny as a seed.
Faith that we can survive, even in rocky soil.
That we can flourish
by reaching toward the heavens.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Let Yourself Bloom

What does it mean to bloom?
To come into your own.
To share the gifts with which you’ve been entrusted.
To open up.
To reveal your face without fear.
To know that you will eventually bear fruit.
Or create the seeds of tomorrow.
So allow yourself to flower.
Not just for yourself,
but for all of us.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.