the pond up the hill from our house was a humble pool of murky stillness when we first arrived at our farmland refuge in march. it's banks lined with miniature tents housing fishermen through the long and bitter winter, the pond seemed to have once enjoyed the long lazy days of summer. we couldn't see it. the pond was no different than the land surrounding it: barren, colorless, lifeless. was this the rural life we had hoped for?
without much notice, spring soon came and life began to take shape in the landscape. seedlings of rice were planted, cherry blossoms marked the first warm days of spring followed by brilliant wildflowers and a wash of green over everything. over the last two months, i have been thankful every day for the natural world that surrounds me and even more grateful for my choice to live within it.
a summer stroll up the hill to enjoy a warm july sunset brought us to revisit that same pond from several months earlier. the sweetness of summer had kissed every inch of our village and the pond had not been overlooked. delicately blushing lotus blossoms dotted the pond like an impressionist painting... sedating our souls and quieting our minds until well after sunset.
