guerrilla goodness: back to school chalk love
August 23, 2011
It’s back! It’s time for the sidewalk chalk love again friends! You may remember when hundreds of folks ALL over the country headed out with sidewalk chalk to encourage the kids of their cities and towns on the first day of school. Well, we are doin’ it again and would love to have you join us!
I don’t know about you, but I could never sleep the night before school started. I wondered what my teacher was going to be like, who I would sit next to, what the work would be. It can all be a little overwhelming. Everybody could use a little encouragement, just a little reminder that you are loved!
So here’s the mission:
1. Grab some bright sidewalk chalk.
2. You head out with friends, family, kids, dogs, grandmothers, artists, whoever…and write positive messges to kids on the sidewalks in front of the elementary schools (or any schools, universities, etc.) in your neighborhood, or even your own sidewalk for the first day of school. Here are some things you can write:
Have a GREAT first day of school!!
It’s going to be a awesome year!
You look fantastic!
We believe in you!
if you want more ideas, check out the pictures of what other people have done here.
3. Go home blissed out with the kindness high!
4. If you are a kindness kid, be super quiet when you are walking to school the next day and everyone around you is talking about the cool art out front… and smile.
5. If you are a Richmonder and want to participate, reach out to your local school administration and send them a link to this post for permission. If just the idea makes you tired or sweat, contact me and I’ll do it for you! patience@kindnessgirl.com
6. If you decide to do this project or blog about it, please leave a comment so we can highlight your kindness work and watch it grow! Don’t forget to send me pictures and I’ll post them or simply add them to our GG Facebook Page.
Also, if you want to learn about school kindness trees, my friend Chris had this awesome idea!
*go at your own risk…be safe, go to familiar places and with others, ask permission if needed, be smart and respectful. It’s more fun that way!
the cycles of great kindness…
August 21, 2011
Jack, February 2011
This boy and his bike…there was a deep love. I completely get it. The wind blowing on your face, going faster than your legs can take you, all of boyhood in its perfect freedom. I knew it was gonna be bad. I came home late Monday night to find our gate wide open, 2 boys bikes gone. They hadn’t been locked, I guess we felt so at home, guards were down….or maybe there were never any guards up and we are at home in every way, I dunno. I told him gently but he very dramatically ran to the porch just to make sure it was true. He burst into tears…it was the saddest cry from an 8 year old you’ve ever heard.
“I just don’t understand mom, why? Why would someone take my bike from me? I loved that bike so much mom, it was the one I learned to ride on. We had so, so many good times…” he went on remembering. His view of the world was rocked.
I didn’t care too much about the bikes, they were thrift store specials. One really good find (a Trek) but even that bike was too small for him now. My head goes straight to – the need must have been great to take them, on whatever level. And it’s just stuff, right? This is the story I tried to tell my boy to soothe his wounds, and he looked like he was trying to take it in…but it doesn’t change the fact that you are sad and disappointed. I didn’t even try to take that away, because so often grief is a friend to us in times like these. It means we care and love…even for simple things like bicycles and memories.
I looked at the sidewalk art Lyra and I made on the morning the bikes were stolen. This Way To Love… and maybe my invitation was clear, if this was what someone needed- love, in whatever form. Every now and then I start to wonder if I live in a Kindness Wonderland (a la Alice), a place I have created in my head and heart. The one that Pollyanna dances in, far from cynicism and darkness, one that believes over and over again the good, that kindness can be found, no matter what. Sometimes, this way does require you to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast…and then there are moments when I start to wonder if I just fell down the hole, I must be mad.
Mad or not, my children will have to decide for themselves, and even I couldn’t blame them for any conclusions they were making that day. We walked to the park but that just reminded him of more riding adventures. We came home and he cried some more, it was so heartbreaking. Less than an hour later there was a knock at the door.
I opened the door and literally gasped. The whole street, men, women, kids, babies, with the same gates wide open and gathered ’round stood there with two new bikes…and now I was the one who burst into tears.
They said they wanted Jack to know the world was still good. …and my world was rocked. That people would love my family this way, that the impossible thought of great kindness was real, that we would be humbled and so deeply touched by it…over and over again, that any shred of doubt would be replaced with such assurance, stronger than before. The fact that we get to live next to these people, side by side, every day- this is the greatest kindness.
We didn’t know how we could ever thank them, although Jack suggested ding dong ditching them his entire savings, we settled on some homemade chocolate chip cookies and thank you notes. When all was said and done, Jack told me he thought in the end maybe everyone got what they needed- the person who took his bike, his lesson about the world and his new bike, and our family.
…and I’m pretty sure I know the way to love, thank you to our street for reminding me, it’s all right here, Wonderland and all.
guerrilla goodness: what you know about love…
August 15, 2011
us…on the 13th anniversary of our marriage, and 19 years together
I have no idea how it all works, this love thing…but over the last week, I am becoming even more sure of one thing…whatever it is, it is worth it.
I sat next to this man, while we dropped off children at school, put oil in a leaky car, ate breakfast, talked of uncertain times, watched a movie, dreamed of travel, of being alone, and took this picture while little people tried to pop their round faces in the shot, over and over again…and I knew it, it hit me plain as day, I always knew it was right to follow this love, to stand in it, to believe it fiercely, to fight for and collapse in it, to savor it, to fear it, to be changed by it, to rest in it, to come home to it, to worship it, to hold it so tenderly, to give it everything I have…and we did…and we will.
It is my one true thing.
…and yet so many times I am baffled by it, or sort of lost in the power of it, and really, it can not be explained but all along the way, I am gathering little pieces. like…
I know there is nothing like it…
I know it may ask you to be a warrior…
I know it can hold more than I ever imagined…
I know when it’s good, it’s PHENOMENAL , and when it’s bad, well… *sigh*
I know it is everything, the root of who we are…I know we all need it desperately…
These small/big truths are like a light that take me to the next place of knowing myself and learning how to love better, or how to receive it, or just be closer to the only thing that matters…and I imagine we all know a little something about love, whether we have it or need it or offer it. Whether it has crushed us or saved us…whether we are old or young, or somewhere in between…we all hold it.
So you must tell me…what do you know about love? I left these little cards across the city telling you a little I know and asking you to tell me, whatever you know (the good, bad and ugly-and all different kinds) about love…I’m pretty sure we are all trying to figure it out.
If you found a card, write your answer and leave for the next person to find…everyone else- tell us your bits o’ wisdom or stories in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter.
we should all…
August 14, 2011
we should all do some more couch diving…with brightly colored head bands on.
what everyone should know on the first day of school…
August 11, 2011
first day chalk– don’t worry it’s coming soon…
Something new is always a little bit scary and exciting.
The first bag lunch of the year is always the best.
You look GREAT!
Some mom, grandmother, papa, dad, auntie is looking at the clock and thinking of you all day long, wondering how you are.
Everyone is learning and growing.
Making a world outside of your family or the familiar is good and also may take some time, but it’s worth it.
If something pops up that is hard, it’s okay, you will find your way…you will do this over and over again, all the way through life.
You are not alone.
Love is everywhere.
You are so loved.
the royal protectors…
August 9, 2011
To say my family is addicted to technology may be a bit of an understatement. TV isn’t so much the problem, no cable, not even an antenna…but computers, movies streaming, the internets? Yeah, well, there lies the love. Surprisingly, these children also share a deep love for art, the outside and other lovely things. Even so, in order to attempt to balance things, we have what we affectionately call Media Free Mondays.
The first hour of every Monday, children complain, walk around in circles while they detox, then they moan. If I can survive the first half of the morning, something wonderful happens- the real play starts to unfold. I’m not sure how but last week someone thought fort making would be a good idea, and before I knew it, there was a castle in my dining room. The royal subjects asked for a snack, their ever so humble servant delivered.
They were mostly excited about the royal goblets.
While they were busy constructing a royal library, setting up castle bedrooms, fixing secret entrances, I overheard this conversation:
Lucy: Well, I have to go to a royal meeting!
Jack: Well, who is gonna sleep with the baby? All good parents sleep with their babies!
Lucy: Hmmm, true, we need a babysitter!
Jack: Well I can’t, I’m a knight!
Josiah: That is what a knight IS Jack, a royal protector.
Jack: You’re right, I will sleep with the baby.
I laughed in the other room…while I know loads of good parents that do NOT sleep with their babies, I believe the next time Jorge or I head to a royal meeting, the other will now be called the royal protector.
this week…
August 5, 2011
lazy, lazy summer days…
guerrilla goodness: when everything goes wrong…
August 1, 2011
It was part of a 3 mission marathon, a simple one- give balloons away to kids at various parks… Who doesn’t love balloons? This one was suggested to us but I must have picked the worst possible day to try. The heat index was like 110. We went to pick up balloons right before lunch when everyone was a tad grouchy and hungry.
We didn’t realize that taking the balloons from the cool store to the hot car would make them pop…24 balloons, it was a sea of color with little faces here and there, then they started to pop, so very loudly. *sigh*
I made these little cards to attach which was great but then made the strings all tangled when we tried to give them out.
We kept pressing on, we lost a few until Lyra figured out you can’t let go. When we finally got to the previously packed park, it was almost empty. Just 2 families were there but we decided we should try anyway…and then to my utter disbelief, the school age kids had absolutely no interest in the balloons. They didn’t want them.
A kind mom saw Lyra’s dejected face and prompted the kids to change their minds but we were okay. Kindness is meant for those who need and want it, it’s okay to not need or want it. Still, it is quite the buzzkill, so the only thing to do was to go get a slurpee- it just happened to be free slurpee day- lick our wounds and strangely colored ice and head home to the old tried and true- our neighborhood park.
We found our good friend G, a toddler and all around good guy. He was thrilled with a red balloon. Someone else accidentally let one go but it strangely delighted everyone. SO it became a balloon release, and we hope the little kindness cards attached found some other dear soul, and not the birds- the eco-girl in me was trying to be cool with it all…because sometimes nothing goes right and everything goes wrong…and you have to let it be and get up tomorrow and try again.
because kindness is worth it.
homemade noodles and love…
July 30, 2011
sometimes before you have to go out to do something really hard, love takes you under her wing and…
prepares a new table to feast at with large forks and lots of children
brings you new friends with kind eyes and listening ears
surrounds you with soulful art, and a wall of images of divine truth
feeds you rich lasagna with homemade noodles, made to comfort you
fills you with the vibrance of life
reminds you what you will return to…what you will lean on, where your heart can rest.
birth love…
July 26, 2011
Nikki and Jeff, oh this couple…it is amazing to be part of people’s lives during the time they are making families, there is a feeling like you are getting a universe sneak peek of the goodness about to be poured over the world. Beside all that wonder, it’s even sweeter when you know you those people will be your friends-salt of the earth- true blue, even beyond birth.
These dear friends have dropped cookies on my doorstep, taught me Tuesday is the best day of the week, left notes in my mailbox, offered copious amounts of encouragement to me while I am trying to birth some dreams over here…and for that I will always be grateful.
AND aren’t they just beautiful creatures? Thank you for allowing me to be part of the birth of both your boys, to watch your love and strength, and deep care for one another.
here are just a few of my favorites that I could share, there were SO many more of this beautiful birth:
little altars everywhere…
July 22, 2011
lyra’s accidental book shelf altar
I found this little altar on the fourth row of a tall bookshelf behind an old red chair, it seems to be eye level to a toddler. Honestly, what could be better to worship than your sister’s glitter nail polish when you are 2? (well, almost 3)
This is the beauty of tiny altars, they can be tucked away anywhere, holding big truths, the things we hold dear, the places we want to be, treasures from moments past and sometimes reminders keeping us from the edge.
Now more than ever it feels like a time to gather and make a place for the most divine and invite all I need to bless my heart, my family, my loves…to make space for the things that matter, no matter how small.
you have a right…
July 19, 2011
You have a right to be yourself. -Jim Hammond (my dad)
Being yourself for some of the members in this family this week has meant…
Being completely fanatical about Google+, geeking out to all the newness…
Singing really, really loudly without care while listening to Lucy in the Sky on your new Ipod Shuffle…
Being totally moody…
Listening to Harry Potter for hours on end so we can go see the last movie…
Procrastinating like nobody’s business…
Being kinda shocked, yet really proud of a big accomplishment unfolding soon… (sorry to be so cryptic, news to come, I promise!)
Talking way too much in social gatherings…
Being hilariously too honest, and heart-on-your-sleeve kind of open in the corporate world…
What has being yourself looked like this week?
guerrilla goodness: library love
July 16, 2011
Jack’s message to the next Harry Potter enthusiast
Can I tell you I am the world’s worst library citizen? …I almost always have a late fee, I lose a book at least once a quarter, and I’m never sure exactly where my card is. Even still, the library, in all her grace, continues to let me try again. and again. and again.
We had a full day of kindness adventures, a marathon if you will, while working on a big kindness project for the fall (which I can’t wait to share!) and we found ourselves at the library. (with a gaggle of kids, dear friends and neighbors) This little outing was after the free slurpee day which meant it was almost impossible to be quiet, but we did our best- there was just mass amounts of excitement over red and blue frozen drinks and new books!
So here’s the mission:
1. Take your trusty little post-it note pad to the library.
2. Leave encouraging notes on the covers and inside of books. (my friend Jen and I couldn’t get out the self-help parenting section!)
3. Trust the universe to send the right book and message to just the right person!
The best part is, you don’t even have to have a library card, or check anything out for this mission, perfect for a library slacker like me!
If you decide to do this mission, leave us a link to your blog or pictures in the comments…or upload the pics to the Guerrilla Goodness Flickr Pool!Check out more Guerrilla Goodness missions here!
love is all…
July 12, 2011
secret garden supper…
July 2, 2011
The First Secret Garden Supper of the Season…
On the menu:
(by Papa Cris and the Party Wagon of Kindness)
Watermelon Mojitos
Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Spanish Rice with Chipotle Sour Cream
Personal Nachos with Cheddar
Caramel and Chocolate Ice Cream cones
and a truckload of super family love…and a few fireflies.
being human…
June 28, 2011
Me: Have you ever been scared to do or try something?
Him: What you scared of?! (his left eyebrow up, almost reaching the top of his mohawk)
Me: I don’t know…being human? What if I can’t do it?
Him: Miss P, you been human for 30 somethin’ years…what you got to be afraid of? you that old right?
…and just like that, with a smirk and the curl of his lips…the 13 year old broke it all down. It felt as though I had been soul schooled. Humanity allows us to be afraid and brave, it’s triumph and failure, maybe there is nothing really to lose or reject in ourselves…so many shades and layers, each with its own purpose…
…and we never stop being human…with our 34 and 13 years respectively.
when you finally lose track…
June 26, 2011
when you finally lose track of the days, you know it’s summer because…
you lean in a little closer…
you start making pies with things you actually grew, food never tasted so good…
you can’t believe you finally beat that level…
you wonder why you didn’t cut the wild flowers sooner, they are pure delight…
you remember you bought those paints forever ago, and do watercolors with neighborhood kids…
you decide every meal should be breakfast.
how do you know it’s summer over there?
guerrilla goodness: kindness popsicles
June 24, 2011
It’s been sweltering, that Virginia kind of southern heat. All I can think about when things are so sticky is
1. I think Virginia might even be hotter than Miami.
2. Somewhere right now Ashley Judd is makin’ a movie with her glistening self with magnolias in the background. I wish I glistened, but we pretty much sweat around here.
We were hankerin’ for some popsicles so off we went to buy a ridiculous amount for both ourselves and Monroe Park. Monroe Park is sort of a haven for homeless folks in our town but is also right next to a university and smack dab in the city. Lots of people that might be interested in some fruity frozen sweetness.
We didn’t have any guerrilla goodness cards with us so Josiah made that awesome sign to stick on the box and MacGyver-ed it with a band-aid at the top. See it? It’s amazing what you can find in the glove box in a pinch, if only there had been some wipes in there it would have been awesome!
I do not really think about what we are doing when we go on kindness adventures, I don’t think about the impact or the purpose…we just sort of go and be in the moment, we meet people, collect stories, play…but this day it was almost as if I was just observing, watching over and it all hit me at once.
My little girls had no fear once we got going, nothing holding them back to connect with folks, offer what we had, become friends. I realized they had absolutely no idea that most of the people they were talking to probably had mental health issues, or struggle with addiction or even that they were homeless…it was just about popsicles, like you would pop a squat with a friend at preschool or tell your dad’s co-worker all about your new stuffed animal. This kind of touched me, seeing their innocence that comes with their age but also realizing, they have done this so many times, met so many people, they don’t really know any different…this is life, a hot summer afternoon.
I felt sort of proud, in that mother look-at-my-babies kind of way… hoping that when they get old, they will be able to make friends anywhere, feel at home in the world and in their heart… see, appreciate and know the beauty of love all around.
An adventure for you:
It’s hot almost everywhere!! Take a box of popsicles to the playground or park and pass them out.
Have fun and tell us how it went in the comments if you decide to play!
Notes:
*Disclaimer*- go at your own risk- go to a place you are familiar with and feel safe! Not everyone feels safe or comfortable mixing with strangers or a public place, it’s okay! You can take a box to the office, or your play date/group, or even the neighborhood!
(I also noticed how much I did NOT want to take pictures of this one, it felt weird…you don’t always have to document, sometimes it’s better to just be.)
sitting in kindness…
June 23, 2011
We sat together after everyone had left…sitting in the aftermath of kindness. It is the kind that isn’t always so easy, it is heavy and sometimes sad.
He cried a little. I know that cry, when you all of the sudden feel the pain of another, you don’t even know quite what to do with it because you know it is bigger than anything you’ve ever known or walked or held. And you can’t quite imagine living with it, and yet people do, with gnashing and fight and grace and beauty and strength and vulnerability and shame and pride and pieces all over, lots of pieces. …and we find our way.
“I don’t think we are supposed to fix it, I don’t think we can. I guess we just have to be in it with the people we love, stand by them, offer our love and feel theirs.” I said.
He nodded, somehow comforted by these words…and I think of all the years it took me to figure that out.
…and I wonder if other people are having these kinds of conversations with their 11 year olds. I wonder if I have brought my kid into this life that I feel lost in myself so many times, a life that constantly requires me to find new parts, heal old parts, choose courage again, even when I would rather not. …and yet I don’t really know any other way to be. He is stuck with me, in all of this broken kind life.
and it isn’t about rescue or being a good person, or passing some big value on…it’s just one human to another, one struggle among many being shared, one call that you are drawn to over and over again like a moth to a flame, one moment of seeing each other, one trust to let it pour or trickle out, and almost every time, there is no preparation, no chance to guard your heart or put the shutters up for the storm…it happens over making macaroni out of a box, or carrying laundry up the stairs, or one look when someone walks through the door.
…and we will sit, listen, talk and sometimes cry when that someone leaves…and then someone else will sit, listen, talk and cry when we leave…and later we will look up to the sky and see the moon shine, in all her glory…in the dark.
the secret garden goes to war…
June 22, 2011
So the Secret Garden has found her way to war, a Garden War that is. I think this is totally hilarious as we have never grown ANYTHING in our entire lives. So maybe that makes us the loveable underdogs? So if you are a fruit lover, a champion for the underdog, or just generally have a black thumb and are amazed green things grow like us, vote for the Salgado Secret Garden here.
Oh… how the Secret Garden has been pure kindness from the universe to me!
Here are some outtakes from the harvest this week:
in case you have ever wondered…
June 19, 2011
we love you papa…
secret garden magic…
June 14, 2011
She told me yesterday that her job when she gets big will be “to love kids”…I’m pretty sure she is well on her way…
guerrilla goodness: in honor of…
June 10, 2011
It was Jorge’s birthday at the end of May, I felt like we needed to honor his awesomeness in the world…with a kindness mission. So here he is:
He may be the most chill guy you have ever met, he’s kind, easy on the eyes, a deeply caring papa and friend AND he always wears sunglasses and always has gum- a minty fresh, Obama sort of cool dude.
I thought it would be fun to share this small thing about him with the world in the name of random kindness.
So I got a Costco box o’ gum and asked the neighborhood boys if they wanted to help.
At first they looked at me like I may be just a little bit crazy, we talked about perceptions of kindness, some of our skepticism, brainstormed on what would give our project credibility, take down some walls in our community…how kindness changes things. I was so blown away to watch minds open and change, how quickly everyone invested in the idea, what good ideas we came up with and how fun it was.
In the end, they decided to take the gum and leave the packs in public places (bus stops, benches, parks,school) but I think they ended up Ding Dong Ditching in the neighborhood.
So here is your kindness challenge for the week:
1. Pick one person you love, think about what reminds you of them.
2. Leave one (or several) of their special thing, thought or idea in a public place for someone else to find. (could be a box of oreos, or a saying written on a card, or even just a picture)
We wrote on our gum:
Please take this pack of gum in honor of Jorge Salgado as an act of kindness! (because Jorge is rad in every way!)
You can also leave the http://www.guerrillagoodness.com address to let people know the intention behind the goodness and introduce the idea of kindness as a way of life!
3. Your loved person will be thought of by a total stranger and the kindness magic moves on.
Let us know if you decide to honor someone to share ideas and tell us about the people you love! You can also upload your pictures to the GG Flickr Pool!
circle up the kindness…
June 5, 2011
My kids have been on my nerves lately, even their back rubs and gentle questions of “you okay mom?” are driving me crazy. I know when it gets this bad, I am not only way overdue for a break but also usually need to stop everything, like everything and play, create, do something to connect.
I saw this lovely art project from an old Wondertime article (oh, how I miss that magazine!) and thought it might be just the prescription for us. It’s a mix between tie dye goodness and crazy science, except a lot less work and mess.
All you need are some old white tee shirts, sharpie markers, rubbing alcohol, eye droppers (or an old infant tylenol dropper), rubber bands and drink glasses. We put the shirt over the glass and wrapped the rubber band until it was taut.
The kids then drew their designs. The original directions suggested putting a water bottle cap in the center and drawing around it with dots and lines to give a flower effect, we eventually just made/drew whatever we wanted.
With the rubber band still on, drop about 20-50 drops of alcohol all around your design. The color molecules “move” and mix in the right solvent resulting in really cool art. The kids experimented with the alcohol technique to give different looks. It was super easy, very gratifying and great for a wide range of age levels. When you are all done, throw into the dryer for 20-30 minutes to set. Wash and dry as normal.
Whenever we are really deep into something, with no agenda, I am reminded how delightful it all is…how excited they were, how kind they are to each other, genuinely happy/encouraging of the others art, how relaxed I am in holding the space for them to create, how in every picture they have those big mops of brown hair never brushed…how our desire to pull back and away is actually an invitation to go in and deeper…how the core of it all is where it’s at.
We are definitely doing this one again, please remind me in the height of summer when I am grouchy again of this dreamy day!
where we began…
June 3, 2011
It was so sweet to be with them again…a different time, a different room, but the players all the same. Erin and Jay so graciously allowed me to capture the birth of their first son, it was my first birth too. Here we are two years later, Erin once again made it look easy, and I was so very honored to watch this little guy, a brother, be born. Thank you, thank you E & J…you and your dear boys are just lovely in every way…I will be forever grateful for where we began.
today…
June 2, 2011
kindness is…
not trying so hard.
believing there is always a way in, and a way out.
worshipping green and other colorful things.
not returning e-mails.
right in the moment before me, this very moment.
leftovers.
throwing the master plan out the window.
receiving some healing.
breathing in soulful music.
staring right into the light.
kissing insomnia goodbye.
knowing, feeling my one true love.
laying burdens down…
What is kindness for you today?
free fallin’…
May 25, 2011
This is the look she gives me right before she takes her biggest jump off the bed into my arms. There is so much reckless abandon, more in her little finger than my entire body…and she jumps over and over again, right into love.
Lately, I have been laying in bed long enough to watch her method and take notes. Sort of checking out on the most pressing responsibilities…instead, discovering the dust bunnies in the corners of the stairs, watching sun flower sprouts pop through the dirt, going about half speed…kind of paralyzed and lost but in a very good way.
I don’t think much can happen until we are quiet, until there nothing left to do but be still, watch, wait for your own big jump.
a spirit capable…
May 22, 2011
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among the creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of kindness and compassion. ~William Falconer
letting go of struggle…
May 17, 2011
I’ve had a tight grip on struggle for as long as I can remember. I’m not really sure of all the reasons but maybe I felt like it on some level it should or had to be that way. It would mean I cared, or was working hard…I told myself it added to my value, or made me who I am. There were moments when all of that was (is) true but recently I’ve had a soft spoken voice in my heart and I am listening…the kind of listening you do when you are a little girl and someone reads or sings you to sleep, when your mind and heart want and are ready to rest.
It is kind and gentle, letting me know it might be okay to loosen the grip, ever so gradually…for fingers pressed white to fill with life blood, to feel what it is like to have hands start to unfold, for old callouses and skin to be nourished, to look, to see, to show, to even honor their work…to let something new fall into these hands.
It some times feels a little scary and awkward to walk around with tired, open hands, with nothing to hold on to…yet tender and good…and something is happening, that one thing I know for sure. Something.
the secret garden…
May 15, 2011
I walked in the door and I knew this was the house…I could feel it, then I looked out the window and gasped.
“Whoa, wow…*sigh*”, no words really, just stammering.
He told me how it was a bare yard with grass when he moved in years ago but he hated grass, so he did this instead. He poured his soul into the green space with no experience really, just an artist at heart.
…and truthfully, I was instantly nervous. I had no idea how I would take care of it but I knew it was quite a gift…a garden like I had never seen, ponds, flowering trees, a cherry tree, a peach tree, a plum tree, raspberry, blackberry and wine berry bushes, a vegetable garden, all kinds of plants and flowers, an old rusted shed, a sandbox and repurposed tires, a tree swing…little nooks and pathways…so many hours of care and love.
The first few days, I wandered, I walked around in circles, under the trellis, and on the slate path, while my wild children deliriously flew through the air compliments of the old tree and small green swing…I figured even if I didn’t know what I was doing I would find a way. It just held so much magic…so much magic. Maybe even enough to cure my black thumb.
Neighbors gathered, giving me advice, tilled my first vegetable garden, shared plants, neighborhood kids swarmed…no one ever wants to leave. Kids marveling over honeysuckle, and mud pies, mulberry trees, fairy houses and games until dark. …pretending this is our secret garden.
Now I understand how sweet it is to grow things, to be part of the process… how a jar on your mantle with flowers you knew since they were just seeds is so, so lovely, how tomatoes ripe and red are a treasure, how something green can cure your soul.
Do you know this? It was a secret to me for so long…I so get it. …and for it to be handed to me to care for, all done, so beautiful, it was such kindness.
So just as the dear homeowners shared with me, I am so happy to get to pass it along and would love to invite you to join me…if you have a secret garden, or are a soul gardener looking to do a kindness mission, please stay tuned…and please link to pictures of your gardens, I’m swooning over such things these days.
You can see the rest of the secret garden pics here.
p.s. Thanks to all who wrote for the fields of kindness Ding Dong Ditch! I am happy to report we DDD’ed 8 boxes of berries, 2 of which to the wrong houses which we decided ended up being a TRUE DDD. And 2 we didn’t get to due to tired kids…so no worries! If you didn’t get your box, they are coming next week!
Kindnessgirl 