Harmony Hill…Where Mountains Meet Magic!

Last year was a dismal year for wild blackberries and raspberries, so it was exciting to see all the fruit budding on the thorny bushes this Spring.  We have hoped for a bountiful harvest as we’ve watched and waited with great anticipation for the first signs of ripening.

As I was walking down the road from checking in a guest today, I spied the glimmer of bright red mixed in amongst the greenery….and sure enough upon closer inspection I saw the first of the ripe wild raspberries!  Oh my heart gave a quick leap, but may have been second to my outstretched hands as they plucked sweet, juicy tidbits and stuffed them in my mouth.  Visions of fresh wild raspberry on my cereal and in my dinner salads entered my mind; what didn’t enter was the fact that I was in a tank top, shorts and crocks or at least it wasn’t until I was waist deep into brambles did that fact catch up with my brain to override my quest for the really plump ones just a couple steps further in.

Foraging will begin again tomorrow albeit with long pants and sleeves properly adorned.

Jana

I am sitting in my office this morning, going thru emails and such and enjoying the views….the grass so green from last night’s rain, the dead branches waiting by the fire ring to be burned, the new hooks in the 2 trees where I now hang my hammock to watch the sunsets, the trees with determination to not let those 2 nights where the temperature dipped to the 20′s and browned the newborn leaves to mar their spring into summer look, the myriad of white blossoms on the blackberry bushes [I hear that means we are going to have a plethora of blackberries this year.  I can't wait since last year we had so few].  And I can’t fail to mention the white tail deer moseying along the knoll’s edge, nor the robin who keeps hopping around so joyfully.

I have 4 large windows in front of me at my desk.  On one of them, something with wings – not sure what it is, clung to the window, clawing at the glass, obviously wanting its freedom.  So I opened the window [it opens vertically], giving that little creature all the freedom of the entire outdoors.  He remains clinging to the window even tho it is open.   I’ve been watching it for 15 minutes now.  He seems afraid to let go of the window and fly away.

I think that is how we are sometimes.  We want the freedom to create and live our vision of what we desire and yet, when the opportunity presents itself, there we remain, clinging to our past and current lives, not even aware that the window is open and all we have to do is let go of what we know, and fly into our freedom.

This morning before I meditated, I was reading in Alan Cohen’s Handle with Prayer the following:

“You will get as much as you ask for.  Ask for all that you want.  Many of us are too well adjusted – we adjust our request to what we expect, rather than daring the universe (and ourselves) to match our vision.  If you aim low on the pyramid, you can’t miss the target – but you do miss the view from the peak.”

So my friend is still sticking to the window.  Shall I help him find out he is free???? And what about me?

Chris Rosenthal