True to the forecast, today was a rainy day. And even better, it was a rainy Sunday. Being the 4th of July weekend, I’m sure not everyone was as excited as I was with the prospect of enjoying a long peaceful, restful day at home.
I like rainy days, especially when I have no where that I have to be. The possibilities for today were delicious and endless. As I reached into my glass pitcher, I was aware of three remaining slips of paper. Two contained outdoor activities. One would not be affected by the weather. I wasn’t at all concerned about what I would draw, not after the extraordinary month of creative activities that I’ve had, with their accompanying deeper messages.
I selected this one:
Capture my day in photos.
I was delighted to engage in this activity, on this quiet, soul care Sunday. Here is my day, captured in photos, with minimal explanation.
The theme for the day.
Beyond the canopy of the covered front deck, the rain fell. The plants in containers on the deck still needed watering.
Marco loves to watch me water the plants.
The perfect rainy day activity…taking a nap.
Time to stroll in the garden, in between rain showers.
Sparkler Cleome
Many people don’t realize that hostas flower. They are gorgeous this year.
The next rain shower was minutes away.
This amazing book is changing my life. More about it in a future blog post.
From the BBC Doctor Who Coloring Book.
Those were some of the highlights of my day. When I wrote out this creative activity, I envisioned photo-documenting a busy day. However, this day was the perfect one to capture. Following the arrow of desire, I realized keeping my iPhone camera ready, snapping pics, brought my awareness acutely into the present moment. I noticed more. Such as the little visitor behind the plant I photographed, seeking shelter from the rain.
As I read chapter four in Walking in This World, I came upon an exercise for the day. It was this same activity…capturing a day…although Julia suggested sketching the moments rather than photographing them. I wish I had thought of that! The wonder, though, of finding that I was already engaging in the task she assigned in a chapter I had not read yet assured me that I am deeply in the flow. The connections, the synchronicities, the surprises are all signs that I am taking the right journey, for me.
In writing about capturing the day in sketches, Julia says, “So much of the adventure of the life we lead rushes past us in a blur. Velocity is the culprit. Velocity and pressure. A sketch…or a photo…freezes time. It is an instantaneous form of meditation focusing us on the worth of every passing moment.” I added the words “or a photo”.
I was well on my way to discovering the truth of Julia’s words by the time I read them. It was a beautiful day, measured in moments. I’m grateful I captured some of them, freezing them in time.
