“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action”. ~W.J. Cameron
It’s a time of thanks and - as a person that never takes the time to stop, much less offer my thanks, I think I will take a moment express some belated gratitude... if you will bear with me.
As a landscape designer, I have been blessed with my choice of career – (at least many that aren’t tell me so). Oh, they don’t see the nasty bits and gritty parts - the wading through mud in November - but only hear the sound of music and see me spreading wildflowers in the sunshine. I can see both at times, but don’t acknowledge enough the honor I have to work in a field that allows me to practice an art with living things. It’s an exceptional flower, this small but noble pursuit, blossoming in me an enthusiasm to learn about myriad living things, how they interrelate as I watch the cycle of the seasons. It’s a privilege to be able to give back, not only to our community but to the world in which we live – and to make a good living at it. I think it’s a rare and wonderful blessing to do what you love to do, to face a different challenge every day and to breathe life in the gemstone of a daphne or the glory of a rushing waterfall.
Yes, I am thankful for this ground on which I work and for the grounding that I have found in my family. It’s a truism, I know - and you will hear it all the time, almost a knee-jerk thankfulness from many, but really - it is a magical thing, isn’t it? That nucleus we form of family and, if we are blessed - children. Having known my wife for the eon and blink of almost forty years, I am fortunate to be close to someone that knows me well enough to nudge me back on my path and to firm up the soil around me when it loosens. My moons must have been in alignment and the stars in confluence when each of my children were born. Without children, I can’t imagine ever being able to see beyond my small self and with them I know I have been triply blessed. That they are all strong, smart and healthy, I have only divine providence to thank, as seat belts, nutrition labels and remote controls will do little to protect them in this fractious world.
I have also been blessed with guidance and I value this tremendously, as I worry about the soundbite screen focus and the broad but shallow ocean of inanity that has caused a fundamental shift in our culture. Years ago, I was fortunate to find welcome in my children’s early school community. Based in a Waldorf school here in Seattle, the school’s natural process thoughtfulness challenged my science-based mind to new and more spiritual ways of thinking and provided a clear, warming lens through which to see my children. Like many things (politics/religion), there is a filter to adjust in order to parse it and see it clearly, but there is a valuable seed in there to nurture. I know that I have felt more closely the rotation of the Earth as I have aged and been able to savor the remaining orbits of the sun that I will be lucky enough to see. Closely following the rhythms of the seasons, honoring myth and legend, nurturing children and respecting the beauty of nature and craftsmanship has struck a chord with me. For that and the many wonderful people I have met, I am truly thankful.
I am appreciative of my home and the beauty of our region, though I have frankly been more urbanite than woodsman over the last two decades. Just up the street I see sweeping sunsets over Puget Sound and I can watch the ferries pass under a backdrop of ice capped mountains. Within a five minute walk, I can gaze at a panoramic view of Seattle, one of the most beautiful cities anywhere. They say the weather here can get to you, but I have come to believe that anywhere you live, there is going to be an issue of concern. Originally from Florida, the bane of existence there was heat and bugs, living in New York, it was mosquitoes and snow and while in Los Angeles, traffic and crime. Now I look back at those lost places fondly. But I know that if I moved, I would long to return, to the fresh air, eco-sensibility, coffee and books of my town.
Finally, I know that it’s only cosmic serendipity that has planted me here on this third orb from the sun. A millennium of evolution and tectonic forces have formed my simple stardust existence. But rarely do I really slow down and see it that way – the astonishing fact that I exist here at all…and feel with gratitude the frail grasp on what I have here on this spinning blue jewel.
“I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude”.
Benjamin Disraeli
“Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone”.
Gertrude Stein
