Friday, December 16, 2011
Dark and cold this morning with a constant 10 mph wind that is just enough to cause dead tree limbs to provide unwelcomed forest music as they crash to earth. It's 36.1° and the temperature is falling slowly as a new weather front arrives. The town plow just went by, not plowing snow but salting and sanding as last night's rain buffed the roads to skating rink smooth and slowed Peacham Pond traffic to nothingness. This unsettled morning caused Karl the Wonder Dog to shorten his morning walk and return to the warmth of the wood stove where his music comes from his snoring.
Christmas is coming and people are beginning to exhibit strange behaviors. Disorganization, misplaced shopping lists, coffee cups, pocket books, packages left on car roof tops and lost, missed stop signs, beeping horns, people lines in stores, traffic lines on the roads. Christmas is coming. As complex, as complicated as we make it but even without our personal intervention, life really is a labyrinth of sorts and pre-Christmas life is a challenge.
Over the years I have come to enjoy labyrinths and I have learned to cope with the confusions that prevail as Christmas nears. When Alex was about 5 he displayed in very articulate style. He thought about Christmas after watching my frustration as he accompanied me as I shopped. At that age, Gail and I were still trying to figure out the puzzle of his autism and only knew that something was different. There was no name for his behavior back then, no diagnosis from a physicians desk reference but Alex was sharp. At then end of a shopping trip he said one sentence to me "Never go Christmas shopping the day before Christmas." He was right!
So Christmas shopping and life in general are like a labyrinth we need to traverse. If we think through our responsibilities and plan what we need to do in advance, the labyrinth is fun and easy. The labyrinth pictured just below here is from the Sensory Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. The close up at the intro up top shows the detail.
Christmas is coming and people are beginning to exhibit strange behaviors. Disorganization, misplaced shopping lists, coffee cups, pocket books, packages left on car roof tops and lost, missed stop signs, beeping horns, people lines in stores, traffic lines on the roads. Christmas is coming. As complex, as complicated as we make it but even without our personal intervention, life really is a labyrinth of sorts and pre-Christmas life is a challenge.
Over the years I have come to enjoy labyrinths and I have learned to cope with the confusions that prevail as Christmas nears. When Alex was about 5 he displayed in very articulate style. He thought about Christmas after watching my frustration as he accompanied me as I shopped. At that age, Gail and I were still trying to figure out the puzzle of his autism and only knew that something was different. There was no name for his behavior back then, no diagnosis from a physicians desk reference but Alex was sharp. At then end of a shopping trip he said one sentence to me "Never go Christmas shopping the day before Christmas." He was right!
So Christmas shopping and life in general are like a labyrinth we need to traverse. If we think through our responsibilities and plan what we need to do in advance, the labyrinth is fun and easy. The labyrinth pictured just below here is from the Sensory Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. The close up at the intro up top shows the detail.
People are encouraged to take off their shoes and walk the labyrinth with closed eyes. If we better challenged our senses than we often do now days, we might/might not make better decisions.
At the gardens there is a different labyrinth in the Children's Garden just as there are different challenges in life. Little kids love it, some sit down half way through and play and roll on the grass, forgetting the responsibility that doesn't prevail until later years. Just the same it's a nice labyrinth.
As days grower short and the holidays approach, reflect on personal labyrinths and try to figure out how to best negotiate them. They aren't as bad as they seem.......the day after Christmas.Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I hear noise in the kitchen as my good friend Michelle G. and wife Gail fix coffee and share morning thoughts. I listen for their laughter but the wind outside is louder. Nature is like that. Have a nice day!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
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The free gift offer with a purchase continues on our website until the end of the month. We always want to help you grow your green thumb!!
1 comment:
Lovely thoughts and post, George:-)
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