My favorite flower-pot fell off its dolly last month, forming a fan of soil and plants across the patio. A massive clay caldron carved with blossoms and painted in deep Mexican colors, it had been the focal point of the patio. The organic potting soil made my purple, white and red flowers flourish. I loved it! Now it lay in chunks and shards, fit only for the trash can.
The pot fell with no one nearby. Mark and I were playing Scrabble on the kitchen table. The dogs were stalking lizards on the far side of the yard. We heard a loud noise and, when I saw what had happened, I screamed. The dogs seemed more startled by my scream than by the pot’s crash. Like Humpty Dumpty, it couldn’t be put back together again.
We swept up soil and pottery shards, and poured water over the flowers to keep them from drying out. As we filled the garbage can with my favorite pot, I thought, “There must be a blog post here, somewhere. I just don’t know what it is.”
A few days later, I found it: the pot crashed because I’d filled it with more good soil, moisture and plant life than the wheels of the dolly underneath it could bear. Even good stuff can weigh too much. In this case, all that good stuff was too much, broke one of the wheels, and the pot fell over.
When I knew why the pot fell, I realized I was heading for the same fate. I went straight home from the wedding shower I was enjoying and stretched out on the sofa. But by then it was too late! I crashed the very morning after my flash of insight. Ten days later, I’m still sweeping up the pieces.
As I prepare for my son’s wedding in June, with its parties and ceremonies, extroverted time with friends and family, endless details, and powerful feelings; wheels come off my dolly every day. There’s much more good stuff in my life now than my wheels can bear.
Writing my blog, caring for my health, staying in contact with friends and family, and maintaining the household seem to be the limit of what I can manage on an ongoing basis. When I added preparations for the wedding without taking enough away, it was too much for my wheels.
I’m thrilled for our son and his fiancé. The wedding week’s a fabulous array of parties in a range of settings. But as with my favorite pot, even if everything inside our life is good, it can still be just too much. So, I’m once again readjusting my life to keep myself steady and still fit in as much good stuff as humanly possible.
When I bought a new flower-pot, I put it directly on the cement, without a dolly underneath. No dolly … no wheels to fall off. Likewise, I’m trying to ground my life by doing only the absolute essentials, meditating a little each day, and giving as many of the essentials as possible to others. Any volunteers?
Therefore, dear readers, this is my last blog until July 1. My pot’s filled with good stuff, including the joy I receive from writing this blog and hearing from you, but as I’ve
said, even good stuff can overload us.
In the next month, the flower-pot of my life will overflow with beauty and goodness. I’ll prepare for and enjoy our son’s wedding, take care of my health, enjoy family and friends, and celebrate the gift of love. Rest. Then I’ll come back to the blog.
Look for me on July 1.