Working in the garden is my zen time. The garden pulls me in, and I can spend hours before I know it. Yes, I do listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music, but I also listen to nothing but the thoughts that come in my head and live in the present. It is such a gift. Living in the now, or present is where you are suppose to live, as hard or as easy as it is for you. So many good, good things come your way when you live in the present. One of them is heightened awareness, which is another special gift.
I can be busy in the garden, and suddenly I feel like there are eyes on me. An uncanny awareness of being watched. Sure enough, if I follow that feeling quickly I soon experience whose eyes are gazing upon me, and I am surprised. Sometimes it is a lazy lizard, a little bird, my favorite hawk, or tracks that are only left behind. The wonderful creatures in my garden watch me, as I watch and am aware of them. There are many, many creatures large and small who call my garden “home.” Here are a few.
My imagination creates personifications for the treasured wildlife and their roles in my garden. The songbirds are the musicians singing so sweetly in the morning and into the day. The lizards are the comedians, lazily lounging in the funniest spots and often displaying territory muscle with their “push ups.” The hawks are reigning royalty soaring high above it all. The squirrels are pirates unabashedly eating my young vegetable seedlings and stealing away treasured macadamia nuts. The gophers and rabbits are just “sneaky” troublemakers and are forever challenging, keeping me on my toes. The coyotes and gopher snakes are policemen, keeping a good “check and balance” in the garden. The night owls serenade me to sleep, and remind me of a day well lived.
Open your eyes to the creatures in your garden, and you will be rewarded!
Thanks for you wisdom, Bonnie Jo Manion!