Monday, August 10, 2009

Time, keeps flowing like ...a White Water to the Falls...!

Passion Flower . . .





This is a passion flower - a woman we see often on our walks at Lake Junaluska, who always smiles and says hello, walked up to us the other morning holding three green pods. She said, "Take one of these, put it in a bowl of water, and it will bloom out. They're beautiful. They're called passion flowers." I took it, and thanked her. We were about finished with our walk, so I carefully held it to the car, and then home.

Once home, I put it in a bowl of water, and waited. Soon, it bloomed...how beautiful it is, just as she said.

I wanted to take photos for all my Blog friends, so you could see it, too. Oh, I wish I had taken the time to snap better photos - sometimes we rush through things. We don't take the time to do things "right." I rushed because I am rushing. I am rushing through my life right now. I wake, fall out of bed, head to the computer, turn it on, get my coffee -- and sometimes I'll allow myself to drink my coffee on the porch and watch morning come to the cove--the sun spilling over the ridgetops--but oft-times I set right to work. So much to do, I say. So many things to catch up on, I say. Even my walks are hurried - hurry hurry Kat - hurry to get home and get to work.

For such an incredibly beautiful flower, I should have taken more time with it. Shot those pictures with care and appreciation and awe. And that's a big metaphor for my life right now: taking some appreciation for the beauty around me, the people I meet, the air I breathe . . . all of it; instead of the mad rush to "get things done." There is a balance and I need to find it -- I can get my things done and still stop to photograph a lovely flower, or sit on the porch and do nothing at all (stop my mind's mad stomping), taste my food without hurrying through it (or worse, eat while working).

How about you? Are your thoughts stomping around in your head drowning out the peace? Are you mad scurrying around and not taking a moment to be still? Do you "hit the road running" from the time you get up until you lay your head on your pillow at night (and even then, stomp stomp go the thoughts)? Maybe we can all take a deep collective breath together.....ahhhhhh.....here we go...deeeeeeeeeep breeeattthhhh innnnnn, . . . . . . let it out sloowwwwwwwwwww. Let's do something with care today, something in the moment - some small thing we usually rush through - and let's See it, Feel it, Savor it....brand it upon our memories so that one day when we are very very old, we will remember it and smile.

I'll be back with news on Maggy-Lou. As for everything else, well...all in time . . . right?
Namate...

16 comments:

Unknown said...

sounds like you need to slow down and smell the roses.....as they say. I just wrote a post with this similar thought. so maybe we are on the same page! appreciate the view today Kathryn! :-)

Unknown said...

oh yes, that flower is amazing! how nice of her to give you one.

Debbie said...

A great piece of advice - I think I will do something with care today!

colbymarshall said...

yep, have definitely had a hard time slowing down lately...deep breath was nice :-)

Carol Murdock said...

Kat...I WAS like that until one day I realized that MOST of my life had already been lived and time was getting sparse even if I live to be OLD. I don't rush for anything now! I try to savor the days and NOT sweat the small stuff.
The flower is gorgeous!! I bet the cove is too!! * MUWAH *

B.J. Anderson said...

What a beautiful flower! And yes, I hit the ground running and only occasionally take time to stop and smell the roses. I've had to slow down in my current edit, because this time I want to do it right and give it the time and attention it needs. It's so hard to do when you have so much going on, though!

Missy B. said...

"Yes" to all of the questions above. My mind never stops. I rush through everything. I hate it. I don't know how to change it.

The flower is beautiful...I have never seen anything like it. In my eyes, the pictures you took are beautiful. They don't look rushed to me. But I do understand what you mean. Sometimes I feel like a hamster on one of those little wheels...running and running...and getting nowhere. :)

Susan R. Mills said...

Thanks for the reminder to slow down. I rush through everything these days. Beautiful flower, by the way.

Sheila said...

At least you took the time to take the photographs with appreciation and awe, even if you have some technical quibbles. They look wonderful to me. What a lovely gift you were given, coming so unexpectedly. You might be interested in Dave King's post at http://picsandpoems.blogspot.com/. A sit up and take notice piece about time marching on and the necessity of intensifying rather than denying our capacity for happiness and exultation.

Deb said...

Beautiful! Breath in-- breath out--repeat.

Anonymous said...

breathing is a good idea. I'm rushing everywhere right now, we don't stop. I have a remodel, and teenagers. Enough said. But stopping to breathe is important. I've at least started a writing routine, but that's another thing to hurry everything else for so I can get to that. LOL!

Michelle said...

Gorgeous flower!

...and yes, breathe in, breathe out....and not necessarily in that order :)

xx

Jeannette StG said...

So agree with you Kat - hurrying through everything that is precious, and only later to realize it!

Sandra Leigh said...

On the other hand, I talked today to a woman who said she couldn't remember the last time she had read a book. She's too busy. I'm afraid my jaw dropped.

Awaiting photos of the beautiful Maggie-Lou -

Cathy said...

Beautiful flower - now relax and enjoy. Sit back and put your feet up and exhale ........

Deb Shucka said...

What an amazing flower. Beautiful and a good teacher, too.