Benched (Again)
This week we’re staring across the canyon of THE HOLIDAYS, that exhausting stretch of the year that begins around Halloween and lasts until sometime in August when you find a box of moldy Peeps under your kid’s bed. Be kind, everyone is fighting a holiday battle you know nothing about!
It’s nearly impossible to escape the commercialism, the consumerism, the culturalism, the politicism baked into just about every widely recognized holiday or celebration. Pagans, Wiccans, maybe you’re the lucky outliers. Just don’t tell Pottery Barn or you’ll be getting ads for a hand-carved set of wooden Baltane figurines for $120. Don’t forget to sprinkle in a liberal dose of the complicated dynamics of family members/friends/relationships/co-worker weirdos/ex-romantic-partners/newly-discovered-relatives to your celebration of choice. The result is a bit like that scene in the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon where the Grinch’s overloaded sleigh teeters on the edge of Mount Crumpet. We are all that sled.
I’m currently reading Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet by the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. I am sorry to report that this lovely book does not include any easy fixes like, “just eat more chocolate” or “go shoe shopping as often as possible.” The core of his message is about taking care of yourself—mind, body, heart, spirit—so we can take care of one another and work in harmony to heal the earth. He writes, “We already have more than enough suffering; we don’t need to create anymore.” And I can’t think of a better material reminder of that message than my good friend, the humble bench.
I wrote about benches a few weeks ago, but I’m thinking about them again now as this busy, messy, fraught season careens toward us like an unhinged asteroid plunging toward the planet. Rest, repair, stillness—these could be seasonal premiums, too. And maybe easier to find than you think.
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On a personal note: I’m really grateful to all of you for continuing to read and support. I hope you find your own lovely spot to spend some time in this week!
X-She
These are all fabulous photos, but "Tree Petals!" moves me to tears - the beauty!!! So grateful for you, my friend, and for how you share your musings, reflections, and gorgeous photography with us all! XO