st.francis of assisi

I felt like St. Francis of Assisi this afternoon.

posts that start like this are kinda hokey, and would be criteria for skipping it, but bear with me...

It took all I could pull out of my solar plexus to get me out of the house. I knew it would do me good, but just like going to the gym, you gotta get your foot out the door first before you can run a mile.

So I walked. Picked up the pace a bit.
was inspired by Fat March last night

Got to the church and sat near the playground.
Eerily quiet. Guess most kids are in daycare now.

Better for me.
I put on my "ohm chant" as usual - (the only 20 minutes of peace in all of 24 hours), and tried to focus.

yea right...

It's so annoying to have the mind ride like a rodeo horse on acid. At first, a moment of peace, but then the relentless struggle to keep that moment of peace. My frown lines began to fold together underneath cheap sunglasses.

Focus focus

meditation isn't supposed to be work - or is it?

Still disappointed about the closure of the beautiful turquoise aqua oasis, I had to make a conscious effort to focus on the smell of pine and warm dewy grass.

Went to my usual hangout - underneath the weeping willow. Today seemed like a busy day at the communal green space - mothers with their babies, couples intertwined on beach blankets, and the odd fat man in swimming trunks without a shirt lying white belly up in the sun. The ducks were on the other side of the pond so my duck bread stayed in its ziplock

until

these two blackbirds flew right above me and sat on some branches directly about my head.
Now duck bread is blackbird bread!

Feeding the birds was such a delightful experience - especially when they are timid at first, and then gain their trust to come closer. With each breadcrumb pitched in their direction, the tiny beaks rummaged through the grass, crumbs in beak and peeped before they took flight- as if to say thanks for the picnic lunch!

I had to know if this monarch butterfly thing was just a coincidence.
Partially

These particular flowers seem to attract the butterflies and bees. But it was still nice to see one coming in my direction when I walked to the "on golden pond" area.


Walked some more and needed to rest . Flip flops were not a good idea - the plastic became sticky after walking on all that hot tar. Decided to take a load off between a cluster of majestic pine trees. That smell - there is nothing that says country more than fresh pine needles.

Took out the Multigrain cracked wheat again. Was hoping that perhaps it could double as squirrel bread, but these little fuzzy slippers with paws and teeth were quite fussy. Pulling out the big guns, the tearing sound of a maple and brown sugar granola bar seemed to stir the crowd.

There was one little squirrel (actually, he was quite big) that was bold enough to come right up to me and take the food out of my hand. I get such a kick out of that - their tiny little on my hand as they cautiously yet gently grab the oats/sugar gunk. Too sweet. The others seemed to pace around me - coming close but no granola bar. Saw the pseudo albino one up close .First time I've ever seen an all beige squirrel.

While looking around me, in awe of the sheer beauty of creation, a dragonfly landed on my toe. The mini-cyclops with cellophane wings tilted it's head in my direction, and then hopped onto the other toe! It decided to stick around for almost a minute - giving me enough time to really soak in the intricate network of legs, webbed wings and needle thin body. And in that moment, I felt so connected to nature. That in itself was a meditation.

A friendly older man walked by me, reached into his plastic bag and scattered peanuts on the ground.
You know, these animals are very intelligent. Have you ever taken the time to watch them eat and prepare to store their food for winter?

As a matter of fact I had, and was impressed at how their tiny brains could carry out such a task without any self-doubt or fear. Not like the brow beating guilt gymnastics I put myself through on a daily basis

Here you go - they'll appreciate your gesture
He poured a dozen shelled peanuts into my hands and wished me a lovely rest of the afternoon.

It was such a lovely day.
Worth going out for.