I planted sunflower seeds this past weekend.
It was a bit tough deciding how to go about this task because of the sunlight and space that will be required for these beauties to reach their full potential. Some went in the ground and some went in a large pot. (Some are being stealthily scatted to unidentified places, but that is another story.) They will all need to be observed and nurtured...watered and loved.
At some point they will be touched. Some will be thinned out and offered to the birds, or rabbits, or yard for composting so others can stretch and grow into their glory.
My life has been a lot like that whole decision making and planting process lately. And, I'm so grateful that the seasons and Nature model how to stay creative, grounded, productive and on purpose. I've gone from feeling fallow to suddenly receiving an abundance of opportunities, input and ideas. It is soon time to make some decisions about where my energy is going to flow. I will need to thin the field.
Vassilis Comporozos, a Greek poet says this about a flower's purpose:
The flower is
the stem’s cry of beauty
to the universe.
I perceive my own sense of purpose in a similar way. That cry of Beauty to the universe is so deeply resonant that as I look at the abundance of opportunities, input and ideas...I am gaining a more clear view of which pieces hold the greatest potential. I gain clarity about what are my own cries of Beauty to the universe.
There will be a few things I have previously committed to that I walk back as gracefully as possible in the days ahead. There will be some that I ask for a bit of time to consider and then decline. And there will be some that I say no to immediately.
It isn't time yet to know exactly how the flowers will grow, or how life will play out. I'm watering and nurturing...and loving the seeds and myself. But the time draws near to take some steps that support a bust of Beauty into the universe. I'm going to be ready.
Sunflower image: 1135365 © Nyphotoboy | Dreamstime.com