Pansy Substitutes

I love pansies. Their cheerful faces look like i feel now that spring is springing. But given the vast amount of tan-brown in my flower beds, a 6-pack of pansies doesn't go very far. That's the reason i now put pansies in a big pot right beside the door. I can see them and smile every time i come home. A container of pansies looks full and inviting.

Out in the vegetable garden, johnny-jump-ups are beginning to bloom. There are so many that i treat them like weeds. But now i realize i can transplant my bumper crop of johnny-jump-ups into flower beds near the house and have the thrill of pansies. Granted, johnny-jump-ups aren't as big as pansies, but they have the same sweet smiling faces--just smaller.

Sometimes, the happiness or calm we hoped to gain from meditation just isn't as full as we expected. Life can look rather brown and dingy occasionally. Look closely at the sweetness/joy/contentment that you do experience in meditation. It may be very small. In fact, it may be very, very small--just one second. Transplant that one second into your life repeatedly, and pretty soon you'll have a whole pot full of happiness every time you come home to meditation.