Mama Says Om - Decision

It's a sweltering morning in the Lanark Highlands, the trees and hills and crags beyond the lake already cloaked in haze and appearing out of the heat cloud like nebulous spectres looking for a place to take up residence - the lake has an ethereal aspect on such mornings.

Decisions, decisions, decisions... Do we (Cassie and I) forsake the wide lake for the peace of the deep shady forest, the valleys for the highlands, the fields for the trees? Do we rest on the shoreline and converse with the summer people on the beach or do we climb the mountain and embrace stillness and silence, listening only to birdsong and the music of the river in the gorge far below? Perhaps we shall do both, but the mountain is calling, and she is calling in a compelling voice. Perhaps we shall see the osprey today as she hunts over the river.

It's an eccentric and mindful process, this slow and inexorable turning toward autumn in the circular dance of the seasons and the turning year. Lugnasadh has come and gone, and the autumn equinox is not far off - it is time now to weed and harvest our gardens (inward and outward) and to give some thought to "putting things by" for the long nights, certainly our thoughts and summer anecdotes, but also our corn, beans, squash and tomatoes.

The mindful blog button is one I've been thinking of crafting for some time, and its meaning is simple indeed. The button is one for all seasons, and one can use it if she (or he) is a committed Buddhist, a student of the Tao, a meditator, a lover of Gaia and her magnificent wild places or just a thoughtful entity who enjoys peering into hedgerows now and again. The button is all about awareness, thoughtfulness and connection - it is a gentle reminder of sorts to pay attention as we go along, and it is also one of my favorite beaver pond images. Use it if you wish, and enjoy!

Written for the wise mamas at Mama Says Om.