So, our business meeting this morning was bright, but still very chilly considering it is now May. However the blossom is out and the grass seems greener and it feels like summer is edging around the corner.
Diggers was in a spritely mood hareing round the field at breakneck speed and rolling round in whatever scent he could find ! I decided to leave him to it this morning. He was so full of Jack Russell energy that he would be absolutely no good for boardroom discussions.
So I was alone with my thoughts as we walked this morning. It has been a strange end to the week. On Friday, my wife lost her grandmother, ‘Nanny’ . It was not totally unexpected as she had reached the grand and very admirable age of 93, but still, it is a sad shock when it happens. She was a great character, very slight (and frail in latter years) in frame but steely strong in heart and mind. I will remember her as laughing a lot and being quite ‘game’ to try things. I remember her hilarious and indecipherable attempts at Pictionary! She loved her garden, something that my wife has inherited. In fact my wife said that on Friday morning, just before she heard the news of her Nanny’s passing, as she was tending her plants and uncovering her Sweet Peas, a single white feather fluttered down in front of her. A sign from above? …. a message from ‘Nanny’ that the garden was looking good and to keep up the good work and that most importantly, all will be well.
As I walked along I looked across the field at the blossom out in the trees and hedgerows, all the new life and the countryside coming back to colour. As I said, even the grass seems greener. I always think that at this time of year it’s like an artist has got out his watercolours and recoloured everything. Bringing positive energy for the summer months. We probably seldom take time to look at it , just carry on on our next job to do, maybe checking the smartphone, thinking about what we haven’t done or worrying about what to have for tea. Mindfulness is ‘trendy’ these days and bandied about a lot. It’s loved by marketing departments as everyone wants it but doesn’t have time for it , so they look to purchase it and then they can say that they have it. … you can get an app for that you know….. I rest my case. It’s not about an app and it’s not a thing you can acquire for a monthly subscription. Also, it’s not something we can just switch on.
I looked across at Diggers burying his nose in the green dewy grass. If he were to look round I would say… ‘Well, it’s like this Diggers stop listening to what you ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ do and what you should or shouldn't buy or sign up to to get the quiet mind and space you crave from our busy world. Just look around you once in a while, notice the little signs, laugh at the memories, cry at the losses, blot out the news and gloom once in a while and listen to the birds outside. Finding the path to a quiet mind is something you have to find, not purchase, and it’s there if you stop for a moment and look. So, find a pathway that works for you. Don’t follow the crowd and don’t worry if others agree with it or not. Life is actually very short in the grand scheme of things, so do what you like. If it’s safe, legal and healthy for you then rip up the rule book and go for it!
There is a quote by the Philosopher Rumi that says..
“The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen”.
I looked across at Diggers - he was still tearing round. The meeting was over!
