Through the fronds of a Norfolk Island pine, I sit lotus-style as the ringing of a Tibetan singing bowl slowly fades into silence. Outside, a snow-covered world of white and blue sends light ricocheting throughout the room, while the sun itself pours in through the green branches of this little tree – beauty in dappled light reminiscent of summer and sunny days. This is the room and space in which I do my daily meditation – and it’s the moment of the day I find myself craving and enjoying, so I’m slowly going to elongate these sessions as a way of getting through the winter.
While the floral bombast of an orchid may steal the show for a week or two, and the re-budding of a Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter cactus might shift focus, the greenery of this Norfolk Island pine is something to which I return most. Its green glow in the early afternoon is a happy reminder that the outside world will be green again too; it is a promise and covenant as powerful and reassuring as any rainbow – perhaps even more-so with its consistency and fortitude.
Here is where I find peace, and shutting out the world is the surest way to reconnect with calm.
Try it – you’ll like it.
