Grace Gaia’s Anniversary, April 30, was on a Saturday this year. Always kind, Will and Heather didn’t want me to make my pond pilgrimage alone. On Friday, the three of us and Will’s doggy, Watson, walked up to the pond, baskets of dried roses in hand. It was cold and wildly windy. Roses flew from the baskets like breadcrumbs left to mark our path home. If there were ducks by the pond, they were hiding.
I said a few words of gratitude to Grace Gaia for the blessings she brings into my life in graceful, mischievous ways. We stood as close to the water as possible and began tossing roses into the wind. They landed not far from our feet. Undaunted, I decided that Grace wants to be grounded.
Watson understood, sure that we were throwing things for him to fetch. He picked up roses in his mouth one at a time and tried his paw at tossing. He made a small pile of roses on the shore then put his head down and rolled in them. Watson was rolling in roses.
Saturday was cloudy but not as windy. I took another basket of roses up to the pond. There were two pairs of ducks. I greeted them quietly with reverent intention then tossed a few roses onto the water. The breeze came in puffs from several directions. It called me to walk around the pond, offering roses where I could.
The flowers drifted slowly into the middle of the pond. One pair of ducks swam over to investigate. The other pair took flight and landed in the middle of the roses. The ducks were rolling in roses—Graceful Mischief for sure.
I wondered at the wisdom of doggies and ducks. My inner poet captured my metaphorically inclined mind. Roses have a high vibration and are often associated with love. With so much negative news these days, how do I roll in roses?
I look for and find people who are doing amazing things for The Common Good.
There is a pastor in a small town who volunteers as an ambulance driver. He doubles as a chaplain to the crew and to families, as the EMTs tend to their loved one.
A woman is running for Congress who just suffered a miscarriage and is out campaigning for Vermont’s Reproductive Liberty Amendment. Kesha touches my heart.
Successful nonprofit leaders insist that their organizations learn about and adopt Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion best practices in the process of all they do in the community. It is another way of serving.
A cancer survivor who cannot have children adopted two foster children and mothers a third by marriage. She works for the American Red Cross. She sends me books about nature to lighten my load. I’m on a roll!
Feeling discouraged? Stop and smell the roses—then roll!