Category: Small things

The Little Palm That Could

The Little Palm

I don’t know why but I wanted to see if I could grow a palm tree from Arizona. So right before I left from my last visit with Tracy and Kelly, Kelly dug up this little sprout from their front yard. I put it in a plastic bag with the tiny root wrapped in a wet paper towel and carried it home in my purse.

It was just two fronds at the time. I didn’t hold out much hope because I had failed with growing a Saguaro cactus. Those don’t like being out of their home environs at all.  When I got home, I stuck it in this terracotta pot, located it in a sunny, south facing window and gave it a little water now and then.

As many of you know, I just moved three weeks ago and thought I would leave this little plant behind since it hadn’t shown any signs of life.

When Hannah asked me if I wasn’t going to take it with me, I just said, “Oh, put it outside, see if it survives. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t, and if it does, it does”. I was so nonchalant and careless. Hannah said, “Mom, you better take a look at it”.

I hadn’t really paid much attention to it in the last little bit. But, lo and behold! Look at this beautiful frond coming up and it’s put on height, as well!

I’ve been apologizing to it for giving up so easily. Perhaps it knew that winter would soon be over and spring was coming and it was time to come alive. I don’t know. I’ll never know.

Now every day I say, “I love you little Arizona palm. I will never give up on you again. I promise”.

Sharing the Small Things

I most definitely must resist texting friends and family about mundane daily thoughts and happenings so as not to bore them.

I woke today almost at noon after falling asleep after 4 am. I had a sleepless night, thanks to chocolate. I never worry at this. I know I can sleep eventually. And so I listen to meditations, wisdom talkers and utter foolishness.

I found that sleeping in the early morning hours until late morning are some of my most valued times of deep rest. The dreams are more vivid and profound. I seem to go deeply, deeply asleep and am not easily woke. I wake with a sense of  deep rest, my body relaxed, maybe even a little bit out of body and refreshed.

I wake hungry and look forward to my first cup of coffee of the day.  I’m anxious to check in on social media to see if anyone has something to say about anything. I wonder if anyone is wondering about me,

I wonder if I’ve had a call or a text asking if I’m over the flu, how the unpacking is going and if I’m feeling settled yet, if I’m ready yet to meet for lunch and checking if I’m ready to go back to the pool anytime soon.

My first thought is to text somebody, and to say, ” I couldn’t sleep last night, so I just woke up and it’s already past noon.” I want to tell them that I’m planning on unpacking more dishes today. But perhaps these aren’t the things that people look forward to reading.

Then, why are these the things I want to share? I want to tell somebody that the blue sky is mottled with soft scattered clouds of beige and grey, that I can see the hills beyond the river.

I want to tell somebody that it’s imbolc, and actually there are already the first signs of spring. That I’ve given up insisting that spring comes only on a certain calendar date and not before, in spite of what my eyes tell me.

I want to share with someone that the palm I brought home from Arizona is living, and that a hummingbird came to my door. I want to explain that I’m still not knitting. I want to say that I’m too tired from moving.

And there are thousands of other things I want to share. And so dear reader, you are my someone with whom I can share these thousand and one things.

I hope you don’t mind my sharing of small things, of this, that and the other thing. I hope it brings you closer to the meaning of life. That it is these small things that make up a life.

So, feel free to share with me, dear friend, your small things. I’m waiting to hear them.