What we seek is already here

We spend so much of our timing wishing and striving for what we don’t have; when what we need is often under our noses. When if we paid a bit more attention to nurturing the the parts of our lives that are working, we’d find gratitude for all the gold we already posses. 

I snagged an hour the other day, grateful for the mild December weather, to neaten up the compost heap. My hubby has been complaining about it for weeks, after I asked him to help me dump it out this summer, I left it in an untidy heap. Rightfully so, he was a bit tired of looking at it every time we take the dogs out. As I shoveled the black gold into my wheelbarrow, I came across this amazing bunch of swiss chard, flourishing when all other vegetables have long been harvested. I must’ve thrown this extra guy into the compost heap back in the heat of summer, thinking it’s crispy remains dead. I think it liked all the composted kitchen scraps, waste turned to nutrient rich soil, because it resurrected itself.

Like all good ideas that I find tossed on the scrap heap, I admonished myself for neglecting and overlooking this little guy’s potential. I spaded it out of the ground and popped it into a nearby raised bed. Some night soon, when December starts to rear it’s wintery head, I’ll harvest the leaves, maybe sauté them in some olive oil with rosemary sea salt. And I’ll remember to stop, look around, and nourish all the beautiful things that are right under my nose, quietly and steadfastly supporting me with their presence.