The cherry blossoms are in full force right now.  When the spring breeze picks up, thousands of tiny pink petals swirl in the air.  For a moment I am mesmerized by the magical view.  It reminds me of glitter whirling in a snow globe, but on a super scale.  When the breeze dies down and the petals settle, the scene has shifted ever so slightly.  The earth, trees, and sky continue their collective seasonal labor.  Growing something takes a lot of energy, and these efforts happen regardless of whether an audience is watching or not.  I wonder if the petals’ aerial display helps me now, after the spectacle is done, to appreciate what was there all along.  The earth’s nourishing stability, the trees connectivity, our sheltering sky.  Perhaps when the petals settle my outlook has also shifted.

There are times in all our lives that feel like winds are kicking up petals, glitter, pollen, dust - you name it.  These come in the form of big stuff like moving a home, extensive travel, changing jobs, medical surgery.  Or smaller stuff like a challenging homework assignment, hosting a picnic for your friends, reorganizing files, or closets.  I recently experienced a swirl-and-settle in my life.  I was honored to participate in a theatre production that culminated last week.  The winds swooped in with the juggle of rehearsal, work, and school.  As the project moved through tech into performance mode, the addition of a live audience carried a new energy in the current.  There were only two public performances and for each I was in position stage-right in the wings.  I witnessed each cast member speak their truth.  I heard their courage and compassion as they helped tell each other’s story.  I felt the audience’s response to the highs and lows of the journeys being told.   I felt as if we all, artists & audience, were temporarily suspended in the sacred space we co-created through the ancient art of storytelling.  What if you could see generous listening, see an intention to share your heart behind any words spoken?  I imagine generosity and heartfelt intent look like sparkles of light flowing between and around us.