I’ve had the phrase “let go of the outcome” in my head a lot this past week, when telling myself that uncertain situations would turn out for the best regardless of what might happen at a particular time. In keeping with that thought, and with the “consider the lilies” story that I posted yesterday, I decided to illustrate today’s entry with a photo of the daylilies next to my garage.
 

Row of four daylily plants, not blooming yet, under a gas meter. 

I planted them under the gas meter about 10 years ago, and they’ve been growing robustly ever since. One year the gas company dug them up to put in a new meter, and that left me concerned that they might not recover properly. But they came back the next year as healthy as ever; so, just as with anything else, I shouldn’t have wasted my time and mental energy uselessly worrying about possible outcomes!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

April 29, 2015 · 6 comments · Categories: Stories

The city park with its neatly maintained flowerbeds and ornamental trees always looks like a small square of dark chocolate in the morning, when it’s shadowed by hulking office buildings. Lily can’t complain, or at least she feels that she shouldn’t; for many years she has made good money from her first-floor coffee shop, across the street from the park.

By now the morning rush is just about over. A few cars go by, their daytime running lights soft and glittering like fireflies in the shadows. But mostly everyone is at work now, settling into their cubicles for another day of ringing phones and clacking keyboards. Global commerce is an impatient master.

Lily always thought she’d had it easier with the coffee shop, where she could be her own boss. She hadn’t seriously questioned that assumption, nor had she realized how much stress had crept into every part of her existence, until last year when she got the breast cancer diagnosis. That had left her even busier than usual, of course, what with all the medical appointments and making sure she could keep the shop properly staffed when she wasn’t there. But all those weeks of lying on a hard table getting radiation treatments every day had given her plenty of time to reflect on things.

She smiles at a regular customer who just came in. Gunther is retired, like most of her midmorning clientele, and he walks here every day from the senior citizens’ apartment building a few blocks to the north. Sometimes he plays chess or checkers in the park, if the weather is good and he can find someone interested in a game. He has kindly blue eyes behind his trifocals and a short white fringe encircling his mostly bald head.

“So, Lily,” he says, in a voice that’s still gravelly from decades of smoking, though he gave up the habit a few years ago after a heart attack. “I heard you’re selling the coffee shop and going to work for a cruise line.”

“It’s true,” she answers, bracing herself for a Love Boat joke and wondering who blabbed. She still hasn’t said anything to her parents or brothers about her plans, even though she now has a definite start date on a South Pacific cruise ship next month. She comes from a practical Midwestern family descended from Eastern European shopkeepers. No doubt the first thing they’ll do is get on the phone to everyone they know, gossiping about how she has totally lost her marbles.

Much to her surprise, Gunther promptly declares, “Good for you!” His big white head bobs emphatically as he settles into his usual booth with the red-checked tabletop; Lily favors retro décor. As always, he puts the brown carrying case for his chess/checkers set beside him on the bench seat, just like the briefcase he carried to work for so many years.

“I always wanted to be a cowboy,” he confides, lowering his voice as if he’s afraid to say it out loud, even now. “But that was just a foolish thought—everyone would have said so. Instead I did the sensible thing, got my degree and became an accountant, putting aside enough savings for a comfortable retirement. Now my wife is dead, my kids all moved away long ago, I sold the big house in the suburbs because I couldn’t stand the emptiness, and what use is the money I saved? I should’ve followed my heart and trusted that the Lord would provide, just like for the birds and flowers. Isn’t that how it goes?”

He blinks earnestly up at Lily through his glinting lenses as the young waitress Samantha, blonde hair pulled back in a waist-length ponytail, brings his usual coffee and blueberry muffin to the table.

“Yes, ‘consider the lilies.'” She smiles again, wryly this time. “I haven’t been much good at that myself, for all that my name is Lily. But at least I feel that I’m heading in the right direction now.”

After picking at his breakfast a little, Gunther speaks again, this time not looking up. “If I were younger I’d move out West and start a new career just like you, but it’s too late even to think about that.”

“Not necessarily.” Lily can’t imagine what’s gotten into her to start giving advice like this. Usually she is all friendly chatter, just a lot of meaningless words, nothing that could ever upset a customer or make her sound pushy. She had more than enough of busybodies when she was growing up, and she vowed long ago that she would never become one herself.

But maybe that also had been doubt and fear keeping her silent, in a different way.

When Gunther looks up again, Lily goes on talking, her words feeling solid and right even though she’d had no idea what she was going to say. “Ranchers need accountants just like anybody else running a business, don’t they? You could keep the books part-time on a ranch, learn the business, and then maybe buy your own ranch after a few years.”

Across the street, the park comes to life in vibrant colors as the sun finally rises above the office buildings. On clear days like this, Lily always has felt drawn to the brilliant sunshine like a moth; and now she imagines that she’s seeing the tropical ports and ocean vistas of her longtime dreams. She knows, even before looking back, that Gunther has followed her gaze. When she glances at him again, she sees in his blue eyes the wide-open skies of the West’s mountain ranges.
 

This is the first story in a series of three. Click here to read the second.

April 26, 2015 · 2 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags:

Earlier today I found a bunch of fake flowers in a dark corner of my basement, literally, and carried them upstairs while trying to remember how the heck they got there. While pondering that question, and wondering what reason I might have had for keeping them, I put them in the sink to rinse off the dust. Next thing I knew, the fake color was coming off, and my sink was full of icky little spots of purple goo.
 

Bunch of fake flowers, mostly purple iris, next to my sink. 

I still have no clue as to where those flowers came from, and suspect that I probably moved them from our previous house and put them in the basement without paying any attention whatsoever. But there’s one thing I am sure about—I’ll know better than to do this again! Next time I discover ancient clutter around the house, it’s going straight in the trash without stopping to think about it!

About Clutter Comedy: Every Sunday (which I envision as a day of rest after a productive week of de-cluttering) I post a Clutter Comedy article describing my most memorable clutter discovery of the week. Other bloggers who wish to join in are welcome—just post a link in the comments! There’s no need to publish any “before” photos of your clutter, if they are too embarrassing. The idea is simply to get motivated to clean it up, while having a bit of fun too!

Not sure how this happened, as these were supposed to be two separate groups of bulbs—but doesn’t it look like one of the purple flowers decided to do a bit of neighborly visiting with the white flowers?
 

White and purple spring flowers, with a purple one next to the white. 

This little scene left me remembering childhood wanderings through meadows full of wildflowers, making up all sorts of fanciful fairy-tale scenarios of what the flowers might be doing. I believe it would do us all good to exercise our imagination like that from time to time, even as adults!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

April 22, 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Musings · Tags:

In olden times, when an invading army was defeated and the war came to an end, the victorious defending soldiers would be paid whatever wages were due to them and sent home to tend to their families and fields. What if we did the same with our defensive emotions when our lives became more peaceful—honoring their service, while recognizing that it’s not in our best interest to keep them as a standing army? An imaginary mustering-out ceremony might go something like this:

Anger, step forward. Today we honor your valiant service. You charged courageously into battle, attacking wrongdoers and righting injustice. You kept your fellow soldiers motivated to go on fighting until victory was won. Here are your wages and a medal honoring your many brave deeds. May you find success in turning that impetuous energy toward a new career. How about the theater? It would suit your dramatics quite well.

Fear, thank you for your service as a vigilant scout, searching the countryside for dangers and quickly alerting the troops. Without your hard work, there surely would have been more mishaps and ambushes. Here is the money you’re owed—no doubt you’ll manage it just as carefully! Enjoy the pleasant, sunny days of peacetime on the farm, and try to relax if you can!

Bitterness, now it’s your turn. For many years, you honed your talents as a masterful propagandist. You made sure everyone knew the sordid details of the enemy’s evil schemes—and if they got exaggerated beyond recognition, well, that was all in a day’s work. Surely you’ll find great success in the advertising industry! Here are your wages, along with a commendation for having been so zealous.

Doubt, you were a fine quartermaster. Nobody got away with stealing the army’s supplies while you were on the job! You’ll certainly have many commercial firms eager to hire you. Here’s your bag of gold coins. Please try to wait until you step off the stage before you count them!

Judgment, your efforts are much valued. With diligent attention to detail, you kept us informed of all the ways we were better, smarter, and more capable than the enemy. You gave us certainty that we were always in the right—and that even if we weren’t, it was someone else’s fault. Word has it that you plan to start a new career in politics. Good luck to you, and here’s your well-earned pay!

As all of you receive your honorable discharge today, please know that your service to God and country is greatly appreciated—and as the times become more peaceful, may we find peace in our hearts as well.

April 19, 2015 · 4 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags:

Here’s one of the reasons why there was such a mess in the closet where my kids used to keep their school supplies—that big heap of stuff on the floor was full of old backpacks and sports bags. Rather than throwing the well-worn ones away at the end of the school year, the kids just tossed them back into the closet. Then they sank to the bottom of the heap, never to be seen again.
 

Two rows of old backpacks on brown carpet. 

Of course, as the responsible adult I should have made sure the old stuff was gone when I bought new school supplies every year. Learned my lesson there: Not paying attention to what goes out (or doesn’t) when new stuff comes into the house equals clutter! But all’s well that ends well—the closet is back to life. No more Bermuda Triangle for backpacks here!

About Clutter Comedy: Every Sunday (which I envision as a day of rest after a productive week of de-cluttering) I post a Clutter Comedy article describing my most memorable clutter discovery of the week. Other bloggers who wish to join in are welcome—just post a link in the comments! There’s no need to publish any “before” photos of your clutter, if they are too embarrassing. The idea is simply to get motivated to clean it up, while having a bit of fun too!

Last year I bought a crystal necklace that became a favorite string of “worry beads,” as I described in a previous Nurturing Thursday post. Sadly, all my fidgeting with the necklace had its inevitable result this morning when the string broke and the beads started falling all over my desk!
 

Necklace of crystal beads with a broken plastic string. 

The necklace can easily be fixed of course, but having it suddenly fall apart like that was kind of discombobulating. Then I thought that maybe I should look at it as giving me a message that all is well, and there’s no need to worry about anything today!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Today’s world is far busier than at any time in the past. Everywhere we look, we’re faced with many choices to make and complicated details to track and organize. It’s no wonder that so many people lead lives of constant stress, always worrying that there’s too much going on and no good ways to keep up with it all. Making wrong choices, losing track of things, and not getting enough done seem inevitable.

Of course, anxiety only makes everything worse; but if we don’t feel in control of our daily lives, then how can we get those worries to go away? And until the worries go away, how can we feel more confident? Many of us struggle with this dilemma. It can be especially challenging for people with disabilities, whose needs are by definition (under the social model of disability) not adequately supported in present-day society.

Autism, in particular, often is associated with anxiety. Definitions of autism generally mention self-calming repetitive behaviors. Many people view such behaviors not as an intrinsic part of their autism, however, but as symptoms of anxiety caused by living in a world that can feel overwhelming and extremely difficult to navigate, with information often coming too fast to process.

I believe that it’s helpful for any of us, whether or not we have a disability, to keep in mind that we do have the power to change our personal environment. Even though we can’t control much of what happens in the world, we can create peaceful, nurturing homes and workspaces that lovingly support us as we go through our days. We can awaken our power by making small positive changes to our routines and surroundings, which reinforce and build on each other as time passes.

When I feel stressed about something I’m trying to do, I stop and ask myself: Does this need to be done now, or at all? Are there more comfortable ways to do it? Should I ask for help instead of trying to do it myself? Sometimes anxiety makes us forget that we have other options; but in reality, there are almost always better alternatives, if we take enough time to discover them. Rather than letting ourselves get overwhelmed, we can step back from the situation for a moment and consider ways to simplify it.
 

April is Autism Acceptance Month. Visit autismacceptancemonth.com for more information.

April 12, 2015 · 4 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags:

On Saturday morning, which was sunny and bright, almost everybody in my subdivision mowed their lawn for the first time this season. While my husband was busy mowing, I dug out some weeds in the flowerbeds. There wasn’t as much spring cleaning to do in the garage this year because we cleaned out a lot of clutter last spring (yay). Still, my husband noticed and got rid of an old extension cord that we never used anymore; and I made the unwelcome discovery that I had not one, but two pairs of gardening gloves in the garage, and that the older pair was totally gross and grimy. I had used them for weeding on a muddy day in 2013, and obviously they never got washed.
 

Old green extension cord and grimy gardening gloves. 

I like to buy new gardening gloves every spring because that gives me a cheerful feeling that a fresh new season is underway, so I shouldn’t even have thought about keeping the old gloves. They only cost a few dollars, after all, and they’re easy to find in the stores. What I probably had in mind was that I might want to use them early in the next season before I got around to buying a new pair, or that if I had a particularly messy gardening task I wouldn’t want the new pair to look old and muddy right away. But all I really accomplished was to make my basket of gardening stuff look weedy!

About Clutter Comedy: Every Sunday (which I envision as a day of rest after a productive week of de-cluttering) I post a Clutter Comedy article describing my most memorable clutter discovery of the week. Other bloggers who wish to join in are welcome—just post a link in the comments! There’s no need to publish any “before” photos of your clutter, if they are too embarrassing. The idea is simply to get motivated to clean it up, while having a bit of fun too!

Because I’ve already posted autumn and winter photos of my willow hedge for Nurturing Thursday entries, I decided that a spring photo would be in order for today’s post. It’s dark and rainy here today, with occasional thunderstorms rolling through—but now that I have resolved not to call such days “dreary,” I find that I’m appreciating their damp softness as they gently nurture the earth, and remembering how I loved playing in the rain when I was a child.
 

Willows on a rainy early-spring day, losing their catkins as leaf buds unfold. 

The catkins, heavy with rain, are falling to the wet grass and making space for the leaf buds to unfold. What came to mind as I took this photo was that although we usually think of autumn (fall) as the season when old things fall away before it’s time for new growth, letting go of old things is really an ongoing, year-round process—both in the natural world and in ourselves!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.