I spent time yesterday clearing brush in the new patio area of the east garden. I last redid this patio area in February 2012 and it was due for an update. I trimmed the giant bird of paradise plant way back and am slowly digging it out of the ground. I uprooted about 30 miles of ferns and wedelia from the overgrown garden beds. With a rake, I rolled ferns, wedelia and pine needles under the bamboo to act as mulch. It’s the first time in months I’ve spent any real time working in the yard, and it felt good.  Yard work is something I really enjoy having quiet time to do.  Done solitary, it becomes a meditation and a holy act of communion with nature.  Clearing the ferns and wedelia from beneath them, I could feel the arbicola and turk’s cap breathe a sign of relief – ah, breathing room!

I was surprised how much more expansive my space was without the undergrowth that had kept me on the narrow path.  Now I had room to step from side to side, and catch a different view from here, from there.  I saw parts of my yard in a new way. Hmmm, maybe the path this way instead for awhile… By clearing the tangled weeds, my space grew to twice the size. I could more clearly see where I was and how to get where I wanted to go.  The clearing was a great metaphor for my life. Afterward, I raked the area, swept the patio and then the driveway. I definitely got my lats and triceps workout in for the day.  I went in and showered and brought a cup of tea onto the patio. It felt good to look out into my fresh new space.  I moved the spider plant here, the cherub statue there. I drank my tea and watched the squirrels chase each other through the oak canopy overhead. If I died right now, thank you Everyone for this beautiful life I’ve had.