During our daily walk, the dogs and I pass a yard where the homeowner has planted the area between the sidewalk and curb with native Texas wildflowers. During the weeks these flowers have been in bloom, different colors have come and gone. Last Monday, as we approached, I could see that purple flowers were replacing the yellow flowers from the previous week. These purple flowers had a fascinating center – it was a deep ruby and yellow – with lots of spiky filaments. I bent to get a closer look and caught movement in my peripheral vision. It was a bee, and in the instant that I saw it, I realized I could hear the bees. The buzzing was so loud I don’t know why I hadn’t heard it sooner. I stood motionless and watched. This mini-meadow of wildflowers was alive with bees – short bees, long bees, bees that looked like they were wearing their winter furs. The more I looked, the more bees I saw. It was mesmerizing.
How often do we walk by and miss the wonder that surrounds us? In meditation, I frequently give the guidance, “Notice, just notice.” Let’s take that guidance off the pillow and apply it to the world of wonder that surrounds us.