Ferida Wolff's Backyard, Appreciating The American Garden: Our Country's Cactus; A Ride to Nowhere; Day Lilies and Deer
Our Country’s Cactus
Tucked away on the side of my house are some small cactus plants. They are normally fairly unobtrusive but when they put out their flowers, they are hard to ignore. The buds are big and the flowers are exuberant. I look forward to seeing them each summer.
There are things to consider, however. A cactus plant has spines. Spines can be stiff, hard, or soft. They may be long or short. The spines on my cactus are so thin they can be ignored when I weed around the flowers. But they can’t be ignored for long. They push in under the skin and are uncomfortable reminders of not being careful in the garden. They cause sharp hints of pain until they are removed.
This duality of beauty and pain is a reminder to me of what is going on nowadays. Underneath the beauty of our country lie the spines that effect so many of us. The pain caused by conquering, slavery, exclusion, and racism that has resurfaced in recent times all over America has been in us from the beginning but we haven’t been addressing the causes – until now.
I hope that we are finally becoming able to appreciate our incredible diversity, to value the beauty that all people bring and to take out the spines that discrimination has implanted in our country’s body. Only then will we be able to truly appreciate our amazing American garden.
My cactus – the Eastern Prickly Pear:
A Ride to Nowhere
During this time of pandemic, my husband and I sometimes take car rides to nowhere to get us safely out of the house. We drive through local places we haven’t explored yet, looking at the vegetation and the houses, getting a general feeling for the area. Sometimes, if there aren’t any people around, we’ll take a short walk through a nature setting and enjoy the birdsongs that float out of the trees.
We recently came upon a local setting that was so peaceful, we had to stop. A softly flowing lake beckoned on this hot day. Gentle waves moved slowly in the breeze. It was a welcome environment where we could, for the moment, forget about what was going on in the world and take some deep, rejuvenating breaths.
It’s necessary to balance personal needs with a broader awareness of our safety and the safety of others. We would love to go to museums and theaters and concerts but that is not yet feasible. So we do what we can to find the positive in this difficult time; taking a ride to nowhere helps.
Former monk Jay Shetty offers help on how to deal with this pandemic:
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