Hyacinths Sprouting

The hyacinth bulbs i began forcing in December are sprouting green now down in my basement. I'm bringing them up to warmth and sun in the kitchen, one by one.

What's hibernating in the basement of your heart? Some delayed dream? A spiritual path that heads off in a direction you can't quite see? A desire for peace? A yearning to rest from restlessness? A hunger for happiness?

Sit. Only sit and wait.  Don't distract yourself with busy-ness. Your authentic self will bloom when it's ready.

photo by Nancy Riege

Ring Bell

My sister sent me a doormat for my birthday. What a chuckle to have at the front door!

Isn't this what we do? Busy ourselves with a distraction rather than wait patiently. Waiting patiently seems like a waste of time. Waiting patiently is being mindful of the present moment.

Oh, i do pull weeds when i'm waiting--at the car dealership for my car to be serviced, in the food coop parking lot, or just walking down the street. Pulling weeds seems like a very useful activity. It keeps me active.

On the other hand, a mindfulness bell has rung. I could take a moment to be mindful of now.
Then i'll pull some weeds.

Fiddlehead Ferns

Fiddlehead ferns are ready to harvest. Quick now! Before the fiddleheads unroll into ostrich ferns. We are looking for the fiddleheads with the brown tissue paper covering (i.e., not fuzzyheads nor "red" heads:).

Fiddlehead ferns, like many other wild edibles, should be quickly blanched in boiling water. Then throw that water away and steam or stir-fry this delicious sort-of-asparagus-tasting vegetable.

Don't wait. Waiting assumes that things will be the same, or sort-of-the-same tomorrow. As the Dalai Lama says, "We don't know which will come first: rebirth or tomorrow."

The fiddleheads are being born into ferns. Don't wait. Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, the fiddleheads will have disappeared into lush fern foliage.

Photo from tomophobia.com