In the Celtic tradition the oak is king of the summer realms, but holly rules over the world of winter. When all around it has faded to dull browns and greys, the holly shines forth its bright green and red undaunted. Perhaps it’s undaunted because it’s so well armed with sharp thorns.
What helps you to show your colors when things around you feel drab and lifeless?
“Until we can receive with an open heart, we are never really giving with an open heart.”
― Brené Brown
What have you recently received with an open heart?
There’s nothing like the remains of last summer’s garden to serve as a reminder of the inevitability of loss. Luckily, a garden, even a dormant one, is an equally potent reminder that life will spring again from the remains. Not necessarily as soon as we had hoped, but eventually.
What hope of new life do you harbor through the winter?
You just never know when and where grooming (trails? dogs? one’s self?) might happen. Really, aside from things like sunsets and tides, you don’t know when anything might happen. So you can be on the alert for threats and dangers that lurk around every corner, or you can watch for glimpses of unexpected beauty or kindness. It’s all a question of what you are grooming yourself for.
What will you be on the alert for today?
When faced with a seemingly insurmountable task, like climbing a tree with no branches, it doesn’t always help to try harder. Sometimes you’re better off stepping back and trying to come at the problem in an entirely new way.
What creative solution have you come up with recently?
