Raking Up the Schadenfreude

The snow is melting, so i started raking near the edges of the snow, where i could see papery tan beech leaves resting on the ground--in the garden, mostly. Those rascal beech leaves blow themselves into corners and behind things so that i have to hand-pick them out.

Rascal bad habits blow themselves into the corners of our minds. I recently had an attack of Schadenfreude--joy at someone else's misfortune. As i practiced self-compassion, that bit of glee opened up into relief. So yes, i was feeling glee (aka joy) at the situation. Joy (and relief) that right action is prevailing.

I had to pick through that Schadenfreude (literally, joy for someone else's troubles) to clean it up. Now my mind can rest in the joy of the right action. I can feel self-compassion for myself and compassion toward the person in trouble.

Now i can rake those rascal beech leaves with a lighter and calmer heart.

Cutting Back Bulb Foliage

After 36 hours of rain, i waded into a few flowerbeds and came out soaking wet. I did something daring: i cut back bulb foliage (daffodils, hyacinths, and leucojum) while it is still green. I got tired of looking at all that strappy foliage lying down. There it is again: Every good thing (April-flowering bulbs) is accompanied by trouble (strappy foliage in June.)

The flowerbeds look so much better now that the old foliage has been cut down. I just hope this good thing (Ahhh! A cleaned-up flowerbed) isn't accompanied by trouble next spring (a paucity of flowers due to insufficient foliage).

Leggy Pansies

Those pansies that looked so sweet in mid-April are hanging their heads and dragging their tongues now. They are leggy and floppy. I've moved them from a planter on the front step, where they've greeted me for the past 10 weeks. Now they're hiding in a shady spot where they can loll around on the ground to their heart's content. And my heart will be more content if i'm not secretly complaining about how gangly they are.

Every good thing is accompanied by trouble. Have you noticed? Those good children of the flower world--pansies--are now gangly, floppy teenagers who have outgrown their home. It's time to turn them loose in the world of the flowerbeds.

I know where this is going to lead. They're just going to go to seed.

Oh, their pansy faces are as cute as ever, but, really, they're lost in the crowd of colorful summer annuals. Every good thing comes to an end.