“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” – Henry David Thoreau
Me knows he's right. Walking, especially when I suffer a case of the writing blues, helps clear my mind, balance my thoughts, and blow away whatever annoying doubts I have about a work-in-progress . . . even if only temporarily. Sometimes it's necessary to escape my beloved fictional worlds in order to brush off those writing blues and come back to the page refreshed and ready to work.
“I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” – Wendell Berry
There is little so beautiful as watching one of God's creatures find solace in their natural home, despite an annoying human looking on. This one's four friends bounded ahead in the thicket.
And then there are flowers. Those beautiful blooms that awaken in spring and summer to brighten even the dullest and bluest of days. Their happy faces make smiling contagious.
We've had a cold spring, so blooms and greens have been slower to emerge, but nature knows what it needs, and so we sit patiently waiting.
This heather was still young when planted, and I worried it hadn't survived this last winter. However, true to it's strong nature, it has proven that when the roots are strong and the desire to grow exists, then no manner of harsh weather can defeat it.
Three more young heathers that struggled last winter have been planted near their stronger friends and already seem happier. A few more warmer weeks and they'll start to put on a good show. A few larger, heartier heathers will join them this year.
Do you garden? If so, what are some of your favorite flowers, herbs, veggies, or shrubs to grow?
Since there isn't much yet to share from the gardens this spring, I hope you enjoy some from springs and summers past.
And so the writing blues have almost all blown away, which means my patient characters do not have to wait any longer for me to return to their stories. What am I working on? At this moment, a Crooked Creek novel due out late autumn.
"If you have a garden in your library, everything will be complete." –Marcus Tullius Cicero
Be well, be happy, and always believe something wonderful is about to happen.
—MK