Let me back track a bit. My kid was flying in for the holidays. Great news.
She started sending packages to our house addressed to her. With a frequent reminder to put them in her closet without opening them upon arrival. No peeking. The repeated instruction wasn’t for me. I never peek. My husband, on the other hand, can be oblivious to repeated instructions.
Like the morning I found him blissfully using his new pet hair rake to clean up after Milo’s morning lay about on the carpet.
Yeah, it’s a thing. And someone is “raking in the dough” with that idea. Go figure. Needless to say, the infraction of opening a Christmas gift early led to immediate termination as head elf. I was hired on the spot to sort through boxes arriving on our doorstep. I diligently added to her secret stash with narry a peek at what was already closeted away.
Amidst the flurry of my daughter’s arrival, she disappeared to wrap gifts. (Yes, just as it was time to do the dishes. Some things never change).
While we chatted in the kitchen, there arose such a clatter. “Who ordered an onion?!”
She arrived in hysterics while showcasing a golden onion with green shoots tilting madly to one side. Okay, to be fair, I never portrayed my kid as a genius. And I’m notoriously lacking in the green thumb department. So, perhaps it was a bit of a parental failure (mine) that she mistook an amaryllis for an onion.
In one hand she held the ‘onion’ as her boyfriend trailed behind holding a little square box addressed to moi (another elf sorting error).
After everything calmed down and the proper apologies were made to the neglected plant, we noticed that even with mistreatment, life found a way to grow. Eventually, with a bit of space and letting it be, the stalks grew straight and flowered. In fact, there’s one flower left. Once that’s gone, I’ll watch a YouTube video to learn what to do next. But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
I do want to thank whomever sent that lovely blooming onion to me.
It filled our home with laughter and warmed our hearts knowing someone cared enough to send it our way. So, whoever you are, thank you.
This seems like a silly story to tell in the midst of the polarization in our country, the fires in the West, and the snows in the South. Yet, I think it’s important to realize that we’re like that blooming onion flower which grows even when stuck in a tiny box. And thrives when the box is removed.
Take care of yourself. Be kind and nurture one another. Tend to the environments in which you live, work, and share with all living creatures. Love the Mother anyway you can. Seems She really needs extra attention.
It’s a time to ask how you may help things grow rather than focus upon the distortion.
Forget the boxes you’ve put yourself and others in as everyone bends this way and that.
Be grateful for everything you have, who you are, and how you can contribute to improving life on the planet.
Quit the mud slinging and seek support if you’re cowering in fear. Remember to begin again with a deep breath and a desire to be a good human who abides by your own highest ideals. If I may be of help, please feel free to reach out.
Let’s grow together. Not apart.
