The Garden that Never was

Here it is. My garden.

I kind of like the wild mayhem that this garden presents. Some have dared to refer it as weeds! I want to be responsible though and say that I initially planned to do a garden this summer but just never got "around to it". Sigh!

This summer has been a big lesson in focusing my energy, ok so I know it did not happen in my backyard, but it happened in other places and it was wonderful. Being in the present moment. Even though I liked Eckhart Tolle's book "The power of Now" it had one fatal flaw and is the reason why it does not teach this powerful lesson. I found the book too long and philosophical, not really explaining why (in simple terms) it is important to focus our energy or giving techniques to do so.

The easiest way to focus is to concentrate with your full being only to the task you are presented with at hand, even if its brushing your teeth. Try it, its not easy to do on a consistant basis. When you do it feels like magic, especially if you can maintain this for hours. I had that experience this summer as I began to engage with my painting and drawing after a 4 year hiatus. You feel totally engrossed in the moment and lose track of time. Another way to prepare the mind to be more receptive to focusing is meditation. Also the more you learn to focus the better you can meditate. When we learn this important skill we do not waste energy and react to life but live more fully in the flowing energy of life. With the skill of an archer we aim towards the result of the task at hand, then flow fully toward the next task.

Our life becomes a garden we carefully cultivate instead of life molding us to its ups and downs.

"The man who has daily enured himself to the habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition and self-denial in unnessary things will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him and when his softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaft in the blast." Henry James