Wednesday, May 20, 2009.  I  wrote the wrong date on everything yesterday. I don’t think I wrote 5-19-09 on anything but my blog post of the morning.  All day long, as I do phone calls and go through paperwork, I make notes about who I spoke to, what we said, what I need to do next. I date each note.  And apparently yesterday I decided it was still the day before.  Probably because I didn’t turn the desk calendar page yet, or mark it off on the wall calendar.  I do that sometimes to prolong the day and give me more time to finish something.  Just one of the funny little mind tricks I play with myself, now that I know it’s all about my perception.  I figured out a few years ago that if I can get myself in a state of tizzy and overwhelment by imagining I have more responsibilities that are more urgent than they are, then I can also talk myself into a state of recognizing that things are under control and being done in divine order.  Even when I’m plowing through the paperwork and stuck on some particular detail, or can’t suss out a design problem, or need to reboot the computer, I can remind myself that all I need to do is reboot my internal system as well. Reboot my perception, so I can see more of the forest and less of just the one tree I imagine to be blocking my path.

It is those few minutes of reboot time that I am ready for, so I run outside for a quick trail walk or gardening break.  While I am out there enjoying Mother Nature’s day, my self talk is focused on reminding myself that when I sit back at work with a refreshed mind, the problem will have resolved itself.  Then I go back to focusing in my yard, in my Now for these few minutes.

My current favorite yard walk begins in the backyard, as I place sunflower seeds under the mulberry tree and on the upturned black ceramic planter near the garden buddha.  I check all the new saplings at the north property line, under the giant oak tree in the back, and rake the fallen leaves into mulch for the young trees.  The turk’s cap and atrbicola seem to like the high shade, while the loquat and mulberry trees are in the full sun.  I stand under the big oak and see it has a whole new crop of branches shooting straight up toward the sun, lined up all along the branches that are parallel to the ground.  I walk south toward the garden, ducking under the palms and palmettos along the edge of the oak canopy of the east garden.  I can tell the armadillos have been out here.  Their little holes are all over the ground, every foot or so, dozens of them.  I love the armadillos, they keep the ground happy.

I walk under the oak canopy and can see the rain has everything growing like crazy.  It will be a jungle again soon.  Right now, I can see from one end to the other when I stand.  If I sat on the bench however, I would be lost among the trees.  Which is where I do some of my best bird watching.  There are always birds of all types flying around in there.  Stuffed from their lunch of mulberries, loquats or sunflower seeds, they rest in the tall branches and preen, calling back and forth to each other.  Usually the squirrels run through about now, chasing each other and scaring the birds into flight.  I used to buy peanuts for the squirrels, then one year dozens of peanut plants began coming up all over, so I stopped that.  I check all my new arbicola cuttings, newly planted as a narrow wall to further hide the entrance to the garden from the street.  The rain has filled the bird baths and the bamboo has grown about 18″ in two days.  Bamboo is amazing.  I like the bamboo energy of rapid growth, strength, flexibility, versatility; lightweight.  I relate to bamboo medicine.

I check the banana tree, and see she has a new companion sprouting up.  The rain has brought everyone to life!  I have several night blooming jasmine cuttings that are growing quickly.  I never expected all my jasmine cuttings to take hold.  That is an easy plant to root, as is arbicola and turk’s cap.  I can hear the frogs doing their symphony as I walk back inside.  Although my little frog hasn’t been at the front door for a few days, I figure it’s because all the action has been in the east garden.

Ok, now I admit that was a mind trick to get you to momentarily forget all about work and office and computer, to go on a mental journey to reboot the mindset.  To vibrate in a new place for a few moments.  How did it work?  Ah, the mind tricks I play on myself.