Mindful Living: The Allure of the Present

The blue of a delphinium is the most extraordinary you will find anywhere. This morning a few were just right for welcoming indoors along with some ultra-fluffy peonies. I have been watching their spikes for weeks. Proud lithe stems emerged from a cluster of dense but delicate leaves. As they strengthened, tiny buds stayed for quite a while before popping into the color for which I wait all year.

In my meditation classes, I guide others on how to live vibrantly in the present, where beauty and inner wisdom often are found. My love affair with the delphiniums had me focused on more than the gorgeous blues. I felt respect for their ability to balance so many petals on tall stems, for their striking grace and delicacy even as they tower above the budding daisies and long-lived pansies.

I clipped a few delphiniums in the morning downpour and stepped back, appreciating the bend acquired by other perennial stems that learned how to navigate their way toward the sun. With a few delicate sprigs from my shade garden, I headed indoors to do some arranging and celebrate the sheer beauty of what grows right beyond my door.

There is an allure to being present, to allowing the quiet within to pull us deep. I share with students that this allure often is more fascinating than our intense stream of thoughts, which themselves seem so gripping at the time. The striking blues pulled me into the moment. Then I felt within me a deep appreciation and sense of connection to the natural world that inspires and carries us.

When I arrange flowers, I love to bring the elements that surround me a bit closer. They enter my home. They commune with each other. The near-cosmic blue delphiniums juxtapose the fluffiest white peony petals. The shade-loving sprigs come into better view with the light of my home, their tiny buds waiting to bloom.

To love flowers is to accept impermanence but also to trust in the next moment. The cut delphiniums on my table will burst with more color as they bloom up and up the stem. Then they will fade. In the garden will come a rush of daisies now starting to bud, strawberry blonde marigolds, and spiky-centered echinacea ushering in a new beautiful present.