Flowers and Problems

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When things seem stirred up in my life, sometimes all I have to do is see more clearly. I’ve found that if I can simply notice the usually unnoticed things around me, life feels lighter and more leisurely. If, for instance, I take some time to tour Delycia’s garden on an abundant day in May and actually see the assorted shades of the blossoms, actually notice the slight shifting of the flowers in the faintest winds, I almost always come away with a quieter feeling about life. Problems seem simpler after I’ve studied the colors of clouds for a few seconds, or seen the different ways two houses shine in the sunlight, or observed the movement among millions of leaves in windy trees. Even taking the time to notice the way a window shows the shades of early morning light might make a day seem absolutely effortless, its potential problems utterly powerless and easy to solve. 

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AFTER 61 (Harrison P., 61, Blessings, CT)

Shortly after his 61^st birthday, 

he found himself standing beneath wisdom

that rolled like a thousand thunders.

Something made him feel 

the strength of youth, 

like he was thirteen again

and could do anything, 

even arithmetic,

and could show sympathy to everything, 

even thunderclouds. 

He found himself laughing 

with the misfortunes of his life 

as though they were playful dolphins 

from a fairy tale. 

He challenged his rascally problems 

to games like Chinese checkers, 

and he always won.

He felt like a chimpanzee

swinging beneath beautiful wisdom trees

in his happy 60’s,

and he always chose 

childish thoughts.