(not necessarily in that order)
I love seeing these little guys staying cool and moist in my outdoor plants (I’m sure he’s even happier now that it’s raining); but all too often they find their way indoors — which is not so cool!
I like them as neighbors, not as housemates. 😂
Today was entirely a puttering around, homebody kind of day, in which I never stepped foot outside the house.
I cleaned a bunch of (very) old stuff out of the frig; laundered four loads of clothes; washed lots of dishes; and watered all my indoor plants.
But I also had coffee and a chat with Ramesha; read my book; watched a few video clips; and dozed off for a while.
Now I’m going to watch a movie while I fold four loads of laundry.
It’s days like this when I’m reminded that, although I love people and can be quite the social butterfly (after all, my sun sign is Gemini!), at heart I’m an introvert and need days like this to restore my inner equilibrium.
I’ve been slowly gathering my plants (indoor and outdoor) from the homes of various friends who kept them alive for the two months we were living in Sacramento.
I spent this afternoon outside on my patio repotting four indoor plants; potting two outdoor plants; and rearranging my patio plants in general.
It was deeply satisfying. My patio is definitely another one of my happy places.
It started out with a lovely early lunch with my dad and my sister.
Got my boots refurbished in time for next week’s rain.
Did some early Christmas shopping for family in Switzerland.
Paid a visit to Les Schwab to check my tires.
Spent time browsing Weiss Brothers nursery and bought both indoor and outdoor plants (after all, I have to indulge my green thumb a bit to make up for two months away!).
After a break for a decaf latte and a snack, I ended the day by picking up a prescription and doing a bit of grocery shopping.
Believe it or not, it was a deeply relaxing day of going with the flow and enjoying every location, every person, every moment.
But I think I’ll sleep very well tonight.
I love these reminders to stop and reflect on the differences between how we treat ourselves as compared to how we treat our plants (or our pets or our friends).
Of course, the next step is to not just think about it, but to incorporate our insights into new actions and habits.
Not so easily accomplished, at least in my experience.
There’s still an awful lot to do before we depart on Wednesday, but I feel good about the progress I made last night and today.
Most of our indoor plants have been relocated. I have a plan for the outdoor plants. Three out of four loads of laundry are done. The house is clean. I have a home exercise program created by my friend, Satyana, so I can focus on gently rebuilding strength throughout the recovery process.
And I’ve got a growing list of items I don’t want to forget when I do my real packing tomorrow!
What an intense and inspirational Spiritual Renewal Week it’s been! I’ve loved just about every moment, but today I finally hit the wall a bit.
So, I made the decision not to push myself to go to tonight’s event; I stayed home and rested instead.
And I also potted plants that had been waiting patiently for a little TLC.
And I’m sooooo happy!
No, really. It’s a bit ridiculous how happy buying these plants made me.
Our patio is about to be transformed!