Day 17,148: Mandala Monday

This mandala inspired this mandala.  Happy coloring!

Day 17,143: What to Keep

(Let me read this to you.)

I guess I must've been hasty in my springtime weeding.  I typically have a bigger plant with more flowers by now.  This year, it's just a wee plantlet with this solitary Black-Eyed Susan bloom. 

I do that sometimes ... get a bit overzealous when it comes to figuring out what to keep and what to toss.  Suddenly everything has to go.  Every green leafy is a weed.  Not only within my garden, but also specific areas of my home, my life, and myself. 

It happens when I focus on the finish rather than the process ... when I stop caring if the baby goes with the bathwater.  After the high of the cleanup completed, there's the aftermath.  Wanting back what I've lost.  Regretting what I've tossed.

So today I am grateful for this one sweet flower and the message that it sends me.  Slow down.  Look closely.  Discard with care.

Day 17,137: Maybe in Due Time

Empty nested.  I am not a fan.  Not yet.  Maybe in due time. 

It crosses my mind around 6:15 a.m. that I ought to go upstairs to make sure she's up for the day.  And then I remember.  A school bus goes by.  I remember.  Evening rolls around and time for all to return to the roost.  Again, I remember. 

She's getting settled.  Finding her way.  Figuring it out.  Fumbling.  It's going around.  Individually within and collectively as a family.  Navigating these changes is awkward.  Surprisingly messy.  Not at all like I thought it would be. 

I welcome this new chapter with open arms.  I shamelessly confess that I've no idea what to do with it from there.  Not yet.  Maybe in due time.