Over seventy and under six

It is interesting how you need other people to help you see things. Now, I think of myself as a fairly observant person. After all, it is what I do for a living. I am paid to pay attention, observe and process and then create something commercially viable and hopefully beautiful. But it is amazing that sometimes i cannot see the forest for the trees.

Do we just get caught up in the constant drone of our lives so that we cannot see or hear the wonder anymore? With all the worry and fear that is perpetuated on the nightly news, do we become numb and unable to actually feel?

Several weeks ago we had our first guest under the age of six in the Provincetown Garden. Now, this child had barely been able to sleep in anticipation of coming to visit us, and when she arrived, everything was exciting and new and needed to be explored. The gravel path in the potager proved to be a constant source of inspiration for her and she made endless trips back and forth to show me each stone that had captured her attention. My new hybrid peony shoots did not garner nearly the enthusiasm as the cracked scallop shells on the stone stairs.

Then came the all important lesson of how to collect sea glass. We had to explain to this beautiful spirit that ALL GLASS on the beach is not collectable. In order to make it's way into our buckets, sea glass must be sufficiently "cooked" (as Partner would say). This is a scientific term that refers to the tumbling of the glass in the sand that softens the edges and brings out the nuances in the color. So, as the little guest and I explored low tide, she became a discerning collector. Just to see her running from one discovery to another with such urgency made me feel happy. To be in the presense of another person who understood how amazing this all is......she is not yet four, and yet she has more insight into the wonder of this world than most of us.

The following week I received an e-mail from Neighbor telling me how our cherry tree was full of goldfinches and looked as if it were blooming yellow. As I imagined this glorious happening, I was sitting in my office on the 21st floor two blocks form Times Square. Immediately I was transported to the Provincetown Garden..........that feeling of peace came over me and all the mundain problems I had been worrying about seemed not so serious. Neighbor has a way of seeing things that makes me adjust my thinking. I can be running around the garden trying to plant all the newly acquired boxwoods before sundown, and then she will call from her porch next door and tell me to look up and see the red-tail hawk that is circling above. Her sense of wonder and joy in life are a constant lesson for me........stop, breathe......and see.

I am so thankful to have these people as my friends. They help me see this garden and this world in such a vibrant and beautiful way. Some very wise person said that we should spend some time every day with people over seventy and under six.........because they are the ones who relly understand the world.