Just BE

"The air is bright with breath of bloom, wise loveliness that asks nothing of the season but to be" 
                                                                   Wendell Berry

How often do we ask nothing of ourselves but to be? How often do we let the list go, forget expectations of ourselves and others, the worries, the memories and endless thoughts... just stop and be. It is almost impossible for me. My mind often feels like it is on a treadmill, always moving on to the next idea or reliving the last. Obtaining a quiet mind is an important discipline. A commonly quoted scripture is Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God". God wants us to be still, he wants to take our thoughts and burdens and give us peace. But we need to hand them over..

The other day I worked as an "invigilator" at my children's school. That is a fancy British word for proctoring exams. We aren't allowed to bring anything in, no cell phones or reading materials. For 2 hours you simply stroll quietly around the room, sit or stand, all the while watching to make sure no one cheats. The first 15 minutes were the hardest. My body wanted to multi-task. I am used to multi-tasking, I can't even watch television without folding laundry. Then slowly I felt my mind relaxing. I started to study the kids: shifting in their seats, scrunching up their foreheads in concentration, playing with their pencils.  I said silent prayers for each of them. I prayed about every other thought that came into my head. Eventually the thoughts slowed to silence, my mind was quiet. It was beautiful.

Another place that I can just be is in nature. The English spring has been glorious (when it is not raining). The picture above is in the Wychwood Forest near our house. The bluebells creep up between the pineneedles and stretch their heads up to find the sun rays. It is quiet except for the birds calling out to each other.

 "That one is sometimes able, among the disturbances of the present world, to wander into some good and beautiful whereabouts of the woods, grow quiet, and come to rest is a gift, a wonder, and a kind of grace" 

                     Wendell Berry (from his book of poetry entitled This Day)

Today I decided to collect wildflowers while walking the dog. Instead of hurrying along I

stopped to smell each bud. I savored their color and design, the teeny bits of pollen in the centers. People driving by cast long glances at me, probably wondering what I was doing with my head in the bushes. But it was nice..I put them in this bowl of water to remind me of their beauty. And the gift of slowing down, of just BEING.