Morning Glory

 Do I dare depend

 Upon you for

 Firm friendship

 Dear morning-glory?

  -BASHO

     Every morning I walk my kids to school through the Little Italy

neighborhood of downtown San Diego. Every morning we pass train tracks, garbage trucks, puddles of dog urine, homeless people digging for recyclables, and the weather is usually gray. Towards the end of our walk, right in front of the Little Italy Association maintenance building, is an overgrown mass of morning glories. We pass them in the morning, the afternoon, the evening, and their colors constantly change. Sometimes they're open, sometimes closed, sometimes blue, sometimes purple. They are bright and transparent in the sun, and deep blue in the shade. They are a miraculous sight to behold, growing fiercely out of the city ground.

     There are days when beauty seems scarce, but if you turn another corner, there it is again. Any despair we might feel during this lifetime has the potential of cracking us, and opening us up to experiencing great beauty. Someone who is suffering and cannot process the sadness can be emotionally moved by the beauty of a loving hug, or an incredible sunset. The older I get, the less I cry over sadness and loss. The older I get, the more I cry from the miracle of this life, and the beauty that can creep in and change my day. Just like morning glories, we are planted in the Earth, made from the Earth, and we grow fiercely in the direction of the light. We close up sometimes, retreating into an inner solitude that prepares us to open again into a proud radiance.

Take in the beauty that surrounds you. Let it move you and break you. Let it light you up. Make it a part of yourself, and give it to others. Notice the gifts that were given to us as humans. Notice the gifts that you yourself were given. You are here for a reason. What are the gifts you have for the world? Would you rather receive the light, or would you rather be the light? Life is short, life is a gift, and we're almost dead anyway, so what have any of us got to lose?

*The last photo is one that I took of my good friend Lori. Isn't she beautiful? :-)