Cloudburst

More Whitacre...
so. freaking. beautiful.

I've been slowing down to observe things lately...I found a huge datura plant growing in the neighborhood yesterday and showed Weston how, when you rub the leaves, they smell like peanut butter. The passionflowers are also blooming right around the corner. They're one of my very favorite plants on the planet for their beautiful, alien beauty and their anti-anxiety medicinal qualities and delicious fruit. Here's a photo I took of them while I was working at The American Botanical Council. Also, a loverly poem by my birthday buddy, Mary Oliver.

When loneliness comes stalking, go into the fields, consider
the orderliness of the world. Notice
something you have never noticed before,

like the tambourine sound of the snow-cricket
whose pale green body is no longer than your thumb.

Stare hard at the hummingbird, in the summer rain,
shaking the water-sparks from its wings.

Let grief be your sister, she will whether or not.
Rise up from the stump of sorrow, and be green also,
like the diligent leaves.

A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.

Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.

In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.

Live with the beetle, and the wind.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(excerpt from The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem)