To see a World in a grain of Sand,
and heaven in a wild Flower,
To hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour
~William Blake
A friend welcomed me home after my long trip with this lovely rose.
Not a wild flower, but I can still see a glimpse of heaven in her lovely gesture.
You are witnessing something very special!
A plant that has managed to survive my brown thumb!
This lovely cactus was a birthday gift last year from a dear friend.
I have mostly ignored it which I understand cacti prefer.
I was thrilled to see small blossoms appearing in the last few days.
Am I joining the ranks of those chosen few whose flowers and plants actually live more than one season??
My sweet little Schlumbergera….my schlumie!
Be still my beating heart!
In my not so crazy but wanting to be sophisticated youth, my friends and I drank Mateus for special occasions,
Now we go to wine tastings and have refined palettes.
Or, so we like to think!
“At no other time does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds.
“Containing depth within itself, darkness, something of the grave almost.”
“For me, it is a foretaste of all of my life of faith. Each year repeats itself, proclaiming more loudly than before,
“It is not over, it is just beginning. Wait ‘til next year and see how much more glorious it will be.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke
As you can see from my previous post “Herbsttag” I am still reading Rilke when I find time. Longing for the wonderful days of my youth when I could read at leisure!
Walking and walking so much in the last few weeks brought to mind Rilke’s poem “Autumn Day”.
I feel almost lightheaded as I read his words, especially the last verse.
It describes my life during the long days and nights of winter.
This is when I miss my Husband. He would understand my feelings.
Fluent in German he could help me with the translation.
Autumn Day*
Lord: it is time. The summer was great.
Lay your shadows onto the sundials
and let loose the winds upon the fields.
Command the last fruits to be full,
give them yet two more southern days,
urge them to perfection, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.
Who now has no house, builds no more.
Who is now alone, will long remain so,
will stay awake, read, write long letters
and will wander restlessly here and there
in the avenues, when the leaves drift.
* There are many translations but I like this one by J Mullen.
Delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare!
Before and after.
These will be eaten in less than two days!
I was in a large building, mostly empty.
The halls were dimly lit.
The offices on either side were dark.
This was the way to the only bathrooom for customers of the restaurant.
If you have been out and about in our pandemic world, you know that public bathrooms are hard to find.
It was creepy to be there.
I was aware of my vulnerability.
Yet, I felt as though I had no choice.
I was hyperalert.
I ran back to the exit and the safety of my car.
It was beautiful day.
People were out and about.
No one knew my panic from a few minutes earlier.
Blame the victim?
Some would say I put myself in a dangerous situation.
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A few days later on a trip to Seattle, I saw this sign on the door in my hotel room.
I felt compassion for people who have to enter hotel rooms alone on a daily basis.
My world felt a little darker.
Maybe we all need panic buttons.
*An exclamation from the play Richard the Third, by William Shakespeare; the king cries out, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” after his horse is killed in battle, leaving him at the mercy of his enemies. http://www.dictionary.com
This brought a smile!
Takes my mind off other “shots” such as covid vaccines, boosters, flu shots…
My doctor expressed his frustration the other day with his patients who would not get their covid shots.
A local theatre requires proof of vaccination for entry.
So much controversy.
Maybe I will try a shot of whiskey after all!
Life continues to be chaotic.
Too much to do in too little time.
Too much uncertainty.
Good intentions however.
Looking for something on my desk, I ran across this note.
Not sure when or why I wrote this.
My scribbling tells me that I was in a hurry.
That seems to the state of my life these days.
OK, I need to breathe deeply and enjoy the view from my window.
Everything is OK.
Lori Greer in Portland 