A Meditation with Lilacs

The wind touches my skin,

Asking if I can,

for a moment,

be still.

How can I connect with anything,

 if I don’t notice the delicate lilac flowers, blossoming?

How can I feel

This green life pulsing toward the sun

if I cannot be present inside

the time given to me?

The lilacs bow in the wind and take flight, even

As they sprout from branches,

Even

as they root down into

The earth.

In each moment,

each second,

Nature shows me that within

Each second

Connection is ours to claim

 and in the next moment

also, to let go.

The sound of the chime

Reminds me

That the presence of the invisible wind

Curls inside my lungs,

Rushing to meet me in each deep breath

With answers

And questions

Cupped in its hands.

• It seems life, if we aren't careful (and sometimes even if we are), can run away with us. Opening myself to nature's offerings gives me a way to not only replenish that which is empty inside of me, but also connect to the Divine. Being in nature, being with horses, witnessing myself in each moment, allows me to focus on the importance of our relationship to the heart of life. Some days the poetry of horses shakes me out of the "To-do" list that lures me away. Some days it's Nature - birds, the moon, the sunlight through the grass after a rainstorm. I believe that every time we choose to engage our hearts and spirits with these grand presences, we are enlivened. If we allow it, these life touchstones can be an anchor when chaos comes calling. I'm constantly learning to not underestimate the beauty and power of slowing down and paying attention. It's here that we reconnect with the world, and ourselves.