I took these photos a few springs ago in my Aunt Margy’s garden. I’m trying to remember, for the life of me, which leaves and buds these are, but, I’m coming up empty. Aunt Margy moves this month… this week? She is selling her large home on a large city lot and scaling back to a cottage in the country. I haven’t spoken with her since she’s decided to make this change, but I suspect it has been a long time coming. My Aunt Margy has always been the one to pick up the pieces for her family and her friends. She’s done it for me numerous times in my life — times when I was a kid and couldn’t help it, times when I was an adult and had no place else to go. I hope, for her, this move, this scaling back is an opportunity for her to re-center and leaf out again. Stronger. Deliberately. Selfishly, because that is not a dirty word. On her own terms. Maybe for the first time in years.
Meanwhile, Ryan and I are preparing for some changes of our own. We’re negotiating for a home inside the city limits (near my beloved park). It’s got a great big willow tree in the backyard and although the house isn’t yet ours, we’re planning the Japanese gardens, veggie beds and a chicken coop. (He’s decided since we’re going to build the coop amidst our Japanese gardens, the chickens need to have Japanese inspired names like “Yoshi” and “Godzilla.” I am in no position to argue. wink) While we may not get the deal we’re after — which means we may not purchase the house after all — it’s been a wonderful exercise in communication and connection. Like the suggestion of leaves and form in this photograph, I feel like new chapters are taking shape. While the words aren’t written and the flowers aren’t defined, there are wonderful opportunities emerging.
What are you thinking about and hoping for now that Spring isn’t too far off?
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On a much smaller scale, I am looking forward to not having to bundle up the kids every morning as we leave for school, leaving behind scarves, mittens and hats that inevitably get left behind in a parking lot, school cubby, or worse, burried in the 200-foot snow drift. I’ll be happy when I don’t have to squeeze them into the carseat and hope the buckles will latch since their coats are so bulky. I will be able to use the extra ten minutes that it takes to get ready in the morning to maybe (holding my breath here) sleep in….. I hope I didn’t jinx it.
How exciting for you Alexa! I have my fingers crossed that this spring you’ll be posting photos of a tiny chick named Godzilla.
Wow, good luck to you Alexa!! I hope it works out. Our first home was much as you described - a process of communication and learning things about my partner that I hadn’t learned in the previous seven years. Crossing my fingers for you….
I will keep my fingers crossed for you and Ryan! Keep us posted!