Into My Body and Soul

It's a fabulous summer day. Frances and I watered our home garden this morning, picked berries at a fruit farm this afternoon, and will soon head to our other garden to water and weed before dark.

I'm happy to spend time outside and berry picking ranks high on my list of joy-filled activities. It's incredibly satisfying to commune with berries and plants and earth and sky while harvesting pounds of ripe, glistening raspberries and plump, delicious blueberries.


Frances and I have been so busy rushing from job to job and commitment to commitment that we haven't taken time to enjoy our surroundings and take in the abundance that surrounds us. Last night, though, we walked on the beach with the dog while the sun was setting. It was glorious.

This afternoon Frances napped and I practiced T'ai Chi Chih with guess who? My regular practice partners: Lucy the goose and Namaste the dog. Now I feel so relaxed that it may take some effort to convince myself to head over to the other garden. Clearly, watering and weeding are not nearly as rewarding as berry picking. Ah, but there are good things (i.e., vegetables) yet to come. If I'm patient, I'll soon be rewarded with zucchini, tomatoes, sweet corn, pumpkins, and winter squash.

All these beautiful, delicious fruits and vegetables offer their chi for me to digest and recycle in my own body.  Perhaps that's why I feel so healthy during the months of gardens and farmers' markets ... nutrition comes directly from the earth and into my body and soul.