When I mentioned the dilemma of wanting to meditate but wanting to be outside for summer my therapist recommended taking the practice into the outdoors. It was a simple but effective lesson – and helpfully nudged me into thinking of my meditation in a less strict and structured format, something my Virgo nature initially bristled at before indulging completely.
Sitting in the lounge chair beside a curtain of sweet potato vines, I set the timer for fifteen minutes. The sounds of the wind and the birdsong made for a tranquil background.
It went by quicker than expected and reconnected me to a place of mindfulness. When the chimes softly rang, I opened my eyes and saw a hummingbird flitting from tubular blossom to blossom in the purple salvia plant on the patio. At first it looked gray, but when it darted into the sunlight I could see it was a dark green iridescent color with tail feathers that were arranged in alternating stripes of black and white. As if to awaken me from my meditation and into a more mindful state, it informed the rest of the afternoon.
Soon after that Andy appeared and asked if I’d seen the cloud of white butterflies that had descended upon the cup plant and lavender patch. The world was alive on this sunny Saturday, and I solemnly took my small place in it.
