It's so damn cold here my cucumber plants have turned white for lack of blood flow. I'm tempted to throw blankets on my three tomato plants, much as I had to cover every single one of my dolls and stuffed toys before I could sleep, when I was wee. Drove my mother crazy. But even a spent sock did the trick, just anything to ward off the chill.
No end to caregiving, to mothering. It began early and shall continue until the end, I believe.
It's amazing how instinct-driven we are.
If an African violet fell from the window-sill and broke leaves (when I was 17), I'd mourn.
Important to toughen; I no longer weep for ripped leaves but just place a wounded child at my knees and I'll fold every last cell of my being around him.
But isn't that normal? Surely it's the ones who DON'T feel as you do, that are the odd-balls.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cro.
ReplyDeleteAlways good to be reminded of normalcy ;)
I agree with Cro! But I also know that sometimes my heart feels really protected, hard, impenetrable. Then it feels odd to open it up so those normal feelings of empathy can work their magic.
ReplyDeleteI once had a neighbor that wasn't so normal...one day I was standing in my front window, and a ten-year-old neighbor girl fell off her bike and got twisted up in the spokes right in front of my house. The not-so-normal neighbor (a galumphing giraffe of a man) was walking by at the same time, and he STEPPED OVER HER. Honest to god. I ran out, untangled her from the bike, and walked her and the bike home. I'm HAPPY to be "normal".
ReplyDeleteI loved this.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for all these offerings...a joy to read. The rain I shall always think of waterfalls now when it gets to me. Words from the kitchen a lot of fun. And your mothering instinct..
ReplyDeleteprecious.
It's the mothering/caring instinct that gives us so much joy T.
ReplyDeleteI talk to/admire/praise each one of the plants in my garden as I water each day. I don't know if it makes them grow stronger, but it makes me feel good to do it. Last night my BIL had to put his dog of 14 years to sleep and a few members of the family joined a virtual circle and held him, his kids and lovely old Brutus in our hearts as he gently slipped away.
These simple acts of love make the world a better place.
I like the opening image of the cucumber. Nice way to get into this.
ReplyDeleteImportant to toughen; also important to stay open. But you seem to know that well.
ReplyDeleteI think some people are just born innate nurturers. Maybe it's genetic, the compassion and care compulsion, whether for people, plants, animals, stories. If you saw my window sill filled with tiny pots nurturing the leaves that fell off my old jade plant, you'd know how much this post resonates with me. I try not to mourn anymore, but note the sadness and let it flow out like the tide, and try to accept the strange ways of the world.
ReplyDelete