Pause for every blooming thing

 

I recently drove through the desert on my way between two areas in the southern part of our state. 

 

It was before dawn and there were not many cars on the road. 

 

These quiet moments gave me plenty of time to watch for birds overhead and to pause for every blooming thing around me. 

 

The time of year that I was driving through the desert was almost perfect timing for when the cactus was going to be popping with color.

 

I could be on the lookout for those as I became mindful of what I needed to do next while also staying in the present moment with the beauty around me.

 

It became my quest for a few hours that day and I did begin to see a few bright yellow, pink and white in the distance from my car as the sun peeked over the mountains. 

 

There may be some that wonder about the beauty in the desert as it can appear to be barren. 

 

Bluff cliffs and cactus. 

Deep canyons that lead to massive open scenes as far as the eye can see. 

 

Then there is the road that rolls along with only one or two other routes for variety. 

 

There are times that I have gone into a landscape like this, such as on this type of morning and felt a renewed breath. 

I could pause for every blooming thing.

Perhaps it is because I knew my destination and was on the lookout for a moment where I could pause for every blooming thing.

 

There was another time when being aware of desert blooms has come into a discussion. 

It was when I was driving through another wide-open space and was able to let others be the ones to let me know what they saw in their wide-open spaces. 

 

Can we do that? 

 

That is something to consider and it seems the best way to learn with them. 

 

This discussion was with a family member who lived with her young children along the edge of this open space. 

 

It meant we could enjoy the view while talking about 

Life, 

Memories,

Dreams,

And this place and the things that could be seen. 

 

Suddenly, the children were describing how they would pause for every blooming thing as the desert cactus had been blooming that summer. 

I was smiling as I heard them describe the colors!

I was smiling as I watched and heard them describe the colors! 

Pink, purple, white, yellow. 

 

Then there were animals that came with the colors that included a lizard and more.  

These children were animated and joyful as they described watching the colors pop open. 

 

They could tell me where the cactus had been and wanted to go out and show me where each one was in the wide open space. 

 

Then they would pause, and their eyes would grow even brighter. 

It was a delightful afternoon, and I was soon on my way back home. 

 

I paused then with mindfulness as I was back in my own space. 

 

The moment that came to me was as clear as their descriptions. 

 

There have been other times that the pause for every blooming thing has happened. 

A sudden wave came with this vision of our son.

A sudden wave came with this vision of our son from a time when being out and about was joyful and days were long. 

 

Perhaps it was a summer day such as this. 

 

We were creating life, 

memories and 

dreams and taking our time to enjoy each day. 

 

This day especially was a meandering one that pulled us into a garden with many types of flowers. 

 

Then this happened. 

Do you see the wave of color here? Tall pink, white and yellow blooms ready to be enjoyed.

 

Our son leaned in to smell the flowers with the calm look of a young boy who is discovering every blooming thing. 

 

He may have done this with every flower, so I did it with him. He seemed to know the way and I followed. 

 

We grinned and stopped a thousand times that day.

Then it was time to move on. 

 

Perhaps he knew his destination that day, which may have included lunch at a restaurant with milk.

 

It is one of the things that makes me happy to this day.

 

Is there time to pause with every blooming thing? 

 

I believe there is. It happens continually to me almost daily now and I allow it. 

 

Could it be that I learned how to do this from our son more than 20 years ago?

 

I wonder about that and then let it flow over me. 

 

Feeling the softness and the massive waves can be a part of the landscape of color for me. 

 

What does it feel like for you, my friends? 

 

Be in your world of color and let’s be here together.