The first line of T.S. Eliot’s poem, ‘The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock’ always makes me wonder what adventures await us – even if we don’t know the question we’re asking 😁. The line came to me as I sit here writing to you about my own wanderings that were very close to home. 

One morning, I remembered a section of Sharon Blackie’s wonderful book, ‘If Women Rose Rooted’. In this book of Celtic legend and story, she mentions truly getting to know her land by walking it regularly and gaining peace by watching it transform at its own pace. She wandered her croft, paying attention to where the water pooled after a storm, and which plants grew where. By paying attention, she became intimately aware of the nature around her, and felt a sense of belonging and peace. She encourages everyone, everywhere; not just on farms but in city parks or where weeds grow through in asphalt, to slow their lives, and watch nature at work.

We’ve all just been through a weather system that’s not only unusual for us, but for the surrounding wildlife, too. Once everything had dried and we weren’t sloshing around each time we stepped outside, I took Sharon Blackie up on her offer to wander the property; this time not taking mental notes of jobs that needed doing, but to simply be a witness to the land itself.  And here’s some of what I noticed when I slowed and left my ‘to-do’ list back on the kitchen bench. 

The first ripe mulberries hiding under bright green leaves, and new growth sprouting from where we removed diseased and tangled branches.

Questions arise about who or what is eating my passionfruit and digging holes in my veggie garden. Marsupials? Rats? And how did they fare in this deluge?

Birds hop around on the grevillea and other natives. They seem to be as happy to see the sun as we are.

The brave long-necked tortoise off on some grand adventure after all that rain, and the termite infested tree trunk that reached saturation point and discarded its outer bark and created a new feeding spot for birds. What IS that growing in the neighbour’s untended back paddock? Now that I’m satisfied it’s not hemlock, I need to understand what it is before I decide my next step. 

When I’d finished my walk, I was reminded how all the growth and changes I’d witnessed could be lessons that would easily apply to our own lives.  – Watching new things grow and emerge from aspects of our lives that may have been cut away abruptly or lopped out of our lives for our own good, and how they tend to grow in the most unexpected places. – A reminder to pay attention to who’s eating your passion and discarding the peel in your life. Is something or someone sneakily stealing your energy; or are you happy to share in the raids? – In order to deal with something intrusive or disturbing, I need to understand what it is, before I deal with it. – When things fall apart, as they will, there is always a benefit somewhere. – Beauty is right outside the window!

(This post has been adapted from my Readers Circle Newsletter.)
Want to get to know me beyond blog posts AND receive a free Novella and other great giveaways? Join my ‘Readers Circle’ here

lisakingauthor.com