Little Gifts
Lately, it seems that the majority of adult Americans are preoccupied with the numerous big events that have been happening here in our country. How lucky for all of us that various news sources are keeping us informed of what is going on! So ( I’ve been told) depending on which channel you tune in to, you may hear opinions and information that are in opposition to those of your friend’s favorite news station. Plus, you can always check in with social media. You will get all the “facts” there. In case you’ve been living in a cave, I will mention only a few of the more important events. We have spent half of 2020 dealing with a pandemic and we have no idea when it will end. Because of it, our children can’t attend school in person, too many people are unemployed, thousands are sick and dying, and face masks are all the rage. To add to the chaos, major cities are being forever changed by peaceful protests and destructive riots. Voices are being heard and laws are being changed. The people yelled “Defund the police!” and the mayors listened. Unfortunately, at the same time, the crime rates are skyrocketing. As if illness and unrest aren’t enough to handle, extreme weather in some areas and out-of-control wildfires in others are destroying homes and lives leaving some to wonder when are we going to take climate change seriously. And last but not least the year will be topped off with one hell of a presidential election between either the greatest president to ever live and a dementia-riddled old man or a sociopath and new hope for our country. We keep hearing the phrase “We are living in unprecedented times” but this isn’t the first time we, Americans, or we, the human race, have experienced such hardships. But we now live in an age where we are bombarded with all the information (real and fabricated) all at once because it is right at our fingertips. Technology has done a great job of keeping us in touch and informed while also keeping us held prisoner by our fears, curiosities, and biases. We can easily follow current events while they unfold, learn the beliefs of classmates we haven’t seen in 20 years, and hear grandma’s opinions on current events as well as those of our favorite celebrities. Speaking of celebrities I just learned that Keeping Up With the Kardashians has been canceled. Could it be because Kanye wants to run for president? I’m kidding that’s not news but it’s all over the internet so look it up if you’re curious. Add all this input to our problems and it’s no wonder why we’ve seen a jump in both alcohol consumption and therapy appointments as people attempt to deal with unmitigated stress, depression, anxiety, and a general out-of-control feeling. So I guess we are living in an unprecedented time since we’ve never before had the blessing and the curse of knowing everything all at once from anyone and everyone who has access to the World Wide Web.
To deal, I have made a very conscious effort to minimize the stressful effects of all this disturbing input by limiting the amount I allow my brain to process. (It’s easy for me to do this given where and how I live and believe me I recognize my good fortune.) But this does not make me immune to worry. I just don’t want to spend my days asking questions like, “What if I get sick?” and “Will my husband be safe at work?” and “How are people going to afford the necessities if prices keep rising?” or “How is this going to impact my children’s lives?” Aaaagh!! I can feel the tension building just by thinking these thoughts for a few seconds. Nope, I’m not going to fall prey to the worry monster. I will not have the joy sucked out of me by the big scary current events that I cannot control. Instead, I will focus on my little world and do my best to appreciate all the wonderful little gifts around me. Every day I can find something to remind me of the good and beauty still left in this world by taking the time to reflect upon everything from the tiniest of signs to the simplest of gestures.
Now, I don’t want you to think that I possess some special talent for seeing the bright side. I most certainly do not. I just learned long ago that I feel better when I don’t dwell on situations that are out of my control. I figured that I would share with you just a few of the freebies that have been bestowed upon me throughout the past few weeks. Some are so tiny that they could have gone completely unnoticed. Others are so simple that they could have just been part of any old day. But it is with a grateful heart that I approach every one of them which makes my life all the better. After all, life is wonderful when you just take the time to wonder about it.
The first gift I want to share with you is a sunflower. Oh yes, they are so popular this time of year. Fields of them are grown for the ideal photo op and mazes are made for anyone brave enough to wander through them. But beyond their popularity, these cheery flowers are a symbol of unwavering faith and unconditional love. How can they represent anything other than adoration and worship as they stretch toward the sun? But when I look at them I don’t merely see the eight-foot-high stalks and bright yellow petals. No, I focus on the disc and the multitude of tiny florets contained within it. The florets possess both male and female structures making the sunflower a perfect flower as it can self-pollinate. Amazing! And long after the bloom is gone the disc will be filled with seeds that will hold a promise of future beauty and nourishment for migratory birds.
The second blessing I’d like to share is a blue jay feather that I found alongside my garden fence. I love these noisy, territorial birds. The blue jay is a symbol of endurance, patience, and loyalty. It also represents long-lasting bonds between friends and family. Finding the feather made me think about how the bird is nonmigratory and will be with me now and through the winter. I find it comforting to know that this boisterous reminder to stay constant in my endeavors and relationships will always be around. It’s kind of like having my own personal albeit tone-deaf cheerleader right outside my door.
The gift of the ladybug is next. Everyone seems to love this cheery little beetle. It is a welcome addition to any garden since plant-destroying aphids are her favorite meal. She’s the one insect with whom no one ever complains about crossing paths. Perhaps the polka-dotted brightly colored shell makes her seem approachable to humans but it exists merely for her protection and to warn off predators. But it’s what the ladybug symbolizes that makes us love her. Folk tradition says that renewed joy, love, and luck are heading your way when you encounter a ladybug. Who doesn’t want these three things in their lives? I think all of us could certainly benefit from having a life filled with more love, luck, and joy.
The fourth gift is the grasshopper who happened to be nestled in my bean plants. If I hadn’t been paying close attention I might have missed him. Maybe he was munching on my plants, maybe not. Either way, it doesn’t matter since I have plenty to share. I was just grateful for the opportunity to get some close-up shots of this beautiful insect. Plus, I was once again reminded of this insect’s symbolic meaning of good fortune, morals, joy, self-expression, and communication. Grasshoppers also represent kindness and a love of giving to others who are honestly deserving of such acts. Ahh…point taken. I’ll keep on bestowing my love and attention onto those who truly appreciate it and I won’t squander one bit on those who don’t.
I don’t know about you but I’m seeing a pattern here. All four gifts center on love, relationships, good fortune, and kindness. That makes sharing my fifth blessing that much easier and it is friendship. Not just any friendship but the kind that started in childhood and was picked up again in adulthood. The other week I was invited over to my friend Michele’s house. We met 37 years ago when my brother and I trespassed on her family’s pond to ice skate. We didn’t know we were trespassing and she didn’t know that her new neighbors were clueless about ways of country living. Anyway, a friendship developed and continued for many years. But real-life adult distractions get in the way of the childhood joys of wintertime ice skating and playing twister at birthday parties. But here we are full circle. Her kids are grown and mine are growing up. We have time to slow down a bit and enjoy each other’s company. Fortunately for me on this day I had a few hours child-free (which rarely happens). So instead of taking that time to busy myself with all the things that needed to get done,e I chose to go visit with my friend. We started by perusing her overgrown garden where I scored some peppers, squash, and a watermelon. Then we strolled the local walking trails with her dog Duke, an old but lively border collie, and picked a wildflower bouquet while talking about life, kids, passions, and futures. Shakespeare said it best “A friend knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” After we finished walking the loop, we returned to her house to sit on the back deck and indulge in some feline affection from the most beautiful champagne-colored boy I’ve ever met. It felt as though our visit ended just as quickly as it had begun.
That is the thing about good friends. Spending time with them is just as easy as breathing. Hours pass so quickly that you think it’s only been minutes. For me, something was life-affirming about a few hours spent enjoying animals and nature with a lifelong friend. The wildflowers we picked were a reminder that life doesn’t have to grow according to plan to be beautiful. We were able to pick a collection of vibrant flowers from different locations as our walk progressed. Isn’t that just like life? We pick things up along the way that brighten our days and make life better. It’s these moments and memories that make the darker times all the more bearable. So my advice to you is to keep looking for the loveliness in all the people, places, and events that fill your life if you want to continue to enjoy it. Take some time to appreciate the tiniest of detail or effortless acts of kindness. We may be alive during an unprecedented time but we are living in a world that is still filled with love, laughter, joy, and natural beauty. We just have to keep our eyes and hearts open to see all the little gifts.
