Strolling through the farmer’s market last month, I was on
the lookout for some small plants to bring home as an early birthday present to
myself. Browsing through a vendor’s
rather large variety of plants, a scraggly little vine caught my eye.
Immediately memories came back to me of a plant just like it
that I’d given my grandmother when I was a child. It had come in a turtle planter and, slow and
steady just like a turtle, it grew into a massive vine. She was always giving clippings away to
people.
A few years after she passed away, I looked for this ivy plant
that was called the Creeping Charlie back in the day, but eventually gave up my
search. Unlike typical ivy, it had these
round scalloped leaves. Stumbling on it
out of nowhere felt like a birthday blessing from my grandmother.
Unsure if it was the same plant though, I asked the vendor its
name and he answered, “It’s the Creeping Jenny!” With its similar but more delicate leaves, I
realized I was looking at the feminine counterpart to the Creeping
Charlie. In looking up the Creeping Jenny,
it turns out this plant is also called the moneywort because its leaves grow to
the size of pennies and it also produces yellow flowers in the spring.
After putting 3 of these little plants together in a larger pot,
they’ve shed some leaves and parts have died off as they settle into their new
home. Certain vines however have started
to unwind and reach for the window to absorb more light. Small and fragile, there is a determination as
tiny new leaves start to unfold at the tip of the vine.
What I love most about the second half of summer is moments like this. Life seems to take a nice deep exhale, helping us recharge our batteries and take in the all the good that is around us. For me, this moment that brought back a happy memory is an example of how taking regular breaks to unwind makes life a fuller and more satisfying experience.
There is a power generated in the unwind that makes life
less of a struggle and creates space to receive the blessings of life.
What simple blessing have you experienced during the summer
unwind?
Sometimes the biggest shifts in how we experience life are
held in the smallest of details!
