Reflections on a Poem, & Living Things, Big and Small Alike
Hurt no living thing εїз
❝ Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep. ❞
by Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894)
Who remembers this precious poem from childhood? I don’t have pets (or bugs), but I swear, the words float through my head at least once a week when I see our beautiful plants growing.
Connecting with life all around us with a look, a smile, a feeling of appreciation is a simple practice of #awareness that can make all the difference when marinating in culture that prizes commerciality and materialism!
This little pink-leafed sweetie is flowering and showing all kinds of new growth in a 3” pot on our sill!
Looking at plants – either indoors in my home or outside as I walk to and from the bus on the way to the Columbia Tower daily – is one way I ground myself in what matters, and restore my energy levels amidst all the chaos that sometimes accompanies this season.
Connecting with life all around us with a look, a smile, a feeling of appreciation is a simple practice of #awareness that can make all the difference when marinating in culture that prizes commerciality and materialism!
So I hope you find yourself some of those new shoots, furry creatures, chubby cheeks or a stranger’s smile this holiday season… <3