Books Falling

I believe in that books fall off our shelves when we need to read them. Especially those books we have owned for years and never get around to reading and then finally they appear with divine purpose and clarity. It was that way for me with Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It fell off my shelf at the exact right time. The book chronicles a year of living close to our food – planting, harvesting, preparing, and eating all that we eat. The book is loosely organized by the seasons. The story starts in March. I am focusing this post on May, which is focused on Kingsolver’s 50th birthday celebration and gratitude for the abundance of late Spring (both subjects that are timely and important to me). I am learning there are no coincidences in the timing of things we must come to understand. What we need to know graces our consciousness when we need it.

The Beauty of May

Kingsolver creates a May that sits on the edge of Summer. Sitting on the edge of summer means the first seeds that were planted early and nurtured in colder times are beginning to mature. Sitting on the edge of summer means it is time to tend and care. That is hopeful in our world where the natural rhythm of our everyday lives may not be peaceful and sustainable and healthy. That is hopeful in this world where nature’s spring rituals quietly and powerfully continue amidst all cancellations, closures, and upheaval. That is hopeful in this world that needs to celebrate. May celebrates seeds becoming flowers and food. May celebrates the earth waking up and the power of earth’s morning. May celebrates the green of life that simply is and speaks of our breath and strength.

Abundance Right Now

I have not been thinking about abundance at all lately. My mind has spent too much time in scarcity, lack, and fear. Kingsolver’s words remind me to look for and find abundance. I must kick every tire, turn over every rock, and scratch beneath every surface. Big ticket abundance is easy. I have more than enough time to work on writing projects that are close to my heart. I have health in abundance. My family is healthy, too. I have food and shelter in abundance. I have friendships in abundance. I have an abundance of things like toothpaste and contact lenses and hair color and vanilla candles and chocolate and comfortable shoes and music, too. I do not take any of it for granted. From that place, I can live my life in ways that make sure others know abundance in all its manifestations more meaningfully.

Gratitude Right Now

Gratitude and abundance are closely related. If abundance is bounty, gratitude is the awareness of and being present to bounty. Kingsolver’s understanding of gratitude is deeply tied to what feeds her: from the food she grows, prepares, and shares that feeds her body, to the relationships she holds dear that feed her soul. She is present to what feeds her, and presence is a gift of the earth. Presence yields gratitude, and gratitude stamps out chaos and despair. That is where we are right now. We need gratitude like we need earth, water, and air. We need safety, humanity, and truth like we need to grow in the sunlight and to drink in the rain.

Miracles Right Now

I believe in miracles. I always have. I have always allowed for the unexplainable to remain unexplained in a web of a greater unknown. Plants and animals know how and when to grow. That is miraculous to me. Seasons know how and when to change. That is miraculous to me. The sun rises and sets. That is miraculous to me. Things are invented and problems are solved. That is miraculous to me. Diseases are cured. All of this is miraculous to me. In relying on the earth for food, Kingsolver reminds me to trust the miracles that are around us. To trust in the strength of the earth, water, and air. To return to our elemental truth. Life is all about miracles. When life feels dark and heavy. Expect and find miracles.