Gathering Beauty

An Octopus’s Garden for Real

I always thought the Beatles’ song An Octopus’s Garden was kind of silly. Fun, but silly. Apparently, octopuses’ gardens are a real thing. I heard an interview with Ringo Starr on Breakfast with the Beatles recently. He explained he was inspired to write the song after learning that octopuses (yes that’s the plural) collect and arrange beautiful objects outside their dwellings. They gather sea shells, shiny objects, and anything new and interesting to place in their under-water sculpture gardens.

Octopuses Are Aliens

Octopuses are amazing creatures for all kinds of reasons. They are known to be crafty escape artists and have been been observed opening containers and playing with Legos and other toys. They can regenerate limbs and camouflage themselves by changing skin color instantaneously. Octopuses have three hearts, blue blood, and a brain in each of their tentacles. Think on that. Some researchers have suggested they are like an alien species living on the planet.

What is especially fascinating to me is that a creature so alien shares our human impulse to collect pretty things. We plant gardens so we can be surrounded with beauty. We bring beautiful things into our homes. And some of us are artists creating beautiful things. Our definitions of beauty might vary, but we like to have it near us, and so, apparently do octopuses. These aliens have provided the mindfulness focus for the week …Gathering Beauty.

For a start we can contemplate the concept of beauty and the things we find beautiful. There is no judgement, just an awareness of what we are drawn to, and what we want near us. We might also notice if we get bored with the things we’ve collected as time passes. What is that about?

Moving Beyond Things

We can also gather beauty beyond three dimensional things. While working with this mindfulness focus, we can consciously consider beauty that is not as tangible as shiny things…time with people we care about, time with our animal companions, kindness, joy, and our ability to be alive on a tiny blue planet. You get the idea. We can stop and notice, be grateful and bring that intangible beauty into our hearts.