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It is one of those languid mornings where everything moves a bit more slowly and there is a stillness on the lake and the forest that matches the heaviness of the dew on the grass and the deck cushions are all so deeply soaked to the bone that I have to ring a dry chair from inside to create a spot to sit and soak it all in as I take a few sips of warmth from the coffee cup.
All the stillness helps me focus my thoughts on the topic in mind — generosity. A few mornings ago, the sole butterfly bush in the garden held a couple of carpenter bees on two different stems, each one resting in a respondent flower of its own. At first sight, one of the bees was so still amid the dozens of florets of each flower that I thought that it was at the end of its life. I was so moved by this visual that I wrote a short eulogy to the bee in the form of a poem. And yet, it was not to be. On my return after a few minutes, and on closer inspection, I noticed that the bee was simply working really hard as it methodically extracted the nectar from the dozens of blooming florets on the one flower, one floret at a time. In addition, another very still bee had joined the party and was busy doing the same on a flower on a higher stem.
Today, the same flowering bush has only a few of its original flowers still remaining in full bloom. Word about its generosity must have gotten out, more bees must have showed up and feasted on it. I even saw a couple of really large butterflies sunning on it during the week. The breadth and depth of the butterfly bush knows no end as all it seems to want to do is to give away all of what it has so effortlessly grown all life long.
Yes. The flowers on the butterfly bush will eventually all die, and yet is it not in their living generously that they will love for generations? In all her stillness, and even apparent heaviness, nature seems to possess the capacity to remind us of what is sustainable and what creates sustenance in life. I am sure that there is ‘someone’ in your life experience who reminds you of a life lived with utmost generosity — who is that ‘person’? What do you think would make someone live in a way that their life isn’t really meant for themselves, but lived for others?
My maternal grandmother was one such person who lived generously and seemed to know no stranger — her life and light still shines within me, for which I am grateful every day. Maybe, all these years after her passing, the eulogy I wrote for the bee was really written for her life of generosity.
And when her work is done
you may find her among the flowers
breathing their light fragrance
for her journey back home
Namaste,
Kumud
P.S. Join us for a weekly gathering and conversation about Living in Generosity on twitter in Spiritchat, Sunday Aug 27 at 9amET / 1pmGMT / 630pm India. Bring some of your favorite people and goodies to share with us. Namaste – @AjmaniK