Never-Never Plant

I love variegated foliage, so 4 summers ago, i bought a Never-Never plant (Ctenanthe tricolor) as the centerpiece of the flowerpot at my front door.

Never-Never's leaf is green and white on top and wine-colored on the underside. That first fall, i brought the Never-Never pot indoors, and by the next spring 1 sprig had multiplied to a nice handful of starts. The pot went back outdoors, beside the front door. By the 3rd summer, the pot was filled with Never-Never plant, and i began to divide it and use it as contrasting foliage for other annuals. Right now, one pot of Never-Never is nicely accented by the ever-blooming Diamond Frost euphorbia. (Never-Never with Ever-Ever? :)

Did you ever swear to yourself: "I'm never, never going to do (or say) THAT again."
"Never, never" is a sign that we have been heedless.
Quite probably

• we have harmed someone (or ourselves) or
• we have taken something that wasn't ours or
• we have misconducted ourselves sexually or
• we have said something heedless or
• we have acted heedlessly as a result of intoxication.

We may or may not live up to our vow to "never, never," but heedlessness is our wake-up call to be mindful.

We might consider taking the 5 precepts, perhaps every day, as a reminder that we really do want to live as harmlessly as possible.

Today, i intend to

• do no harm to anyone
• take nothing that is not freely given
• use my sexual energy wisely
• speak truthfully and helpfully
• and keep my mind clear.

The precepts are not a forever-and-ever sort of thing. Of course, we break them in little, tiny ways all the time. But the precepts assist our intention to live the best life we can.