Hope in Action is the mindfulness focus this week, inspired by seeds forming on fading garden plants. I think there are more seed heads than flowers in the garden right now. Cosmos, calendula, echinecea, marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias…seeds are everywhere.
Seeds always seem hopeful to me. They represent new life even as the plant is dying. And They are part of the cycle of life on the planet, creating beauty and sustenance. Seeds are tiny powerhouses that in the right environment will blossom into whole new plants.
And the right environment is the key to a seed germinating and then becoming a full grown plant. That can start with hope. But hope is nurtured by action of some kind. It’s true that some things are beyond our control. We hope that the sun will shine but we can’t do much if it doesn’t.
However we do have some control of many events that happen in the garden. We hope for no hail, and we can also put hail cloth up over garden beds. Or we hope it will rain and we can also water by hand. We hope for no insect predators, and we can also make sure the garden soil is healthy and provides a home for the good garden insects that drive off the bad. At every turn we have options for action and a way to nurture our hope for a beautiful and bountiful garden.
Hoping for the best, but not seeing my part in things or the actions I need to take seems pure stupidity to me. When others promote hoping and praying, but taking no action to create the garden or a world we are hoping for, I am also suspicious of their motives. In most instances, hope requires action.
So this week the mindfulness focus is on Hope in Action, being aware of the things we hope for in our hearts. And then being mindful of actions we take to nurture or block that hope.
“Somehow we must keep hope alive – a hope that we can find a way to educate all, alleviate poverty, assuage anger, and live in harmony with the environment, with animals, and with each other.” A quote by Dr. Jane Goodall, who works tirelessly to put her hope of a better world into action.
For more information on weekly mindfulness focus words click here.
For more information on Dr. Jane Goodall’s life and work click here and here for the Jane Goodall Institute.
