-
Patience
“He that can have patience can have what he will.” ~Benjamin Franklin My garden tries to teach me how to be patient — but I’m not the best student. I don’t like to wait for results. Being a fan of instant gratification, I want to see the bloom of my gardening efforts … now. Likewise, it’s hard for me to watch a plant struggle. I keep meddling, trying to find a quick fix. For example, one of the new lavender plants I added to the herb garden isn’t thriving and I’m wondering how to bring it back while I resist the temptation to overfeed it or move it to another…
-
Embrace your age
“Every year brings you closer to expressing your whole and healed self. I celebrate that. Honor it. Hold it in reverence. And I’m grateful for every age I’m blessed to become.” ~Oprah Winfrey All of us suffer pain and emotional wounds throughout our lives. Nobody leaves this world unscratched. The key phrase in today’s quote is “your whole and healed self.” One of the gifts of aging is the informed perspective we earn from years of experience. And how well we age depends on our attitude as well as the lifestyle choices we make. We can dwell on the past and rehash our list of regrets; or we can move…
-
Wishes and regrets
“In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” ~Oscar Wilde My mother often quoted the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true.” Years later, that bit of wisdom still resonates. I thought of it again when I ran across today’s quote from Oscar Wilde. Sometimes the things we hope for aren’t good for us. Sometimes the decisions we make don’t work to our advantage. Sometimes we don’t make the right choices. We cannot change the past, but we can learn from our regrets — and not repeat our mistakes. ~CL
-
Restoring garden and spirit
“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” ~May Sarton I’ve spent the past week restoring the Japanese garden that’s tucked away in a corner of our backyard. My small garden oasis was inspired by the much larger Japanese garden I’ve admired for years at Cranbrook House and Gardens in Bloomfield Hills. I even wrote a story about it, which was published in Victoria. Given their simple, restrained aesthetic, Japanese “Zen gardens” require regular pruning, weeding, and trimming. Over-planting — which adds cottage charm to other garden styles — doesn’t…
-
Star therapy
“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.” ~Bill Watterson, cartoonist One of my favorite summer pleasures is star-gazing on a crystal-clear night. This is easily accomplished when I’m visiting the west or northwest side of Michigan — the Third Coast, as I like to call it. In the beach towns along Lake Michigan, you’ll find less industrial pollution and clear opportunities to spot the constellations. But I’ll watch the stars anywhere, even at home in Detroit. When I do, I always recover my sense of awe and wonder, and the troubles of the day seem so much smaller in…
