Coming/Going
The day brought light by the time this writing started. No wind. Clear, still and certainly will be bright today. The temperature is 47 degrees fahrenheit.
Looking at this orchid immediately brought to mind the shared experience of all life - coming and going. The phalaenopsis is among the most common, if not the most common orchid around here. She is in flower shops, at gift shops, even at Trader Joe's. In the flower mart in downtown Los Angeles, there are at least three vendors who sell this flower, exclusively. And a couple of store fronts that have elaborate arrangements using only this flower/plant. It always brings a smile to the recipient of a gift of this orchid.
The one that is here, has lost its tiny unopened blooms. The blooms are mature, and have seen good conditions. Soon, they will begin to fold in on themselves, one by one and then drop, leaving only the spindly stem. The caretaker then clips the stem and feeds only the greens and in a year, or several months later, new shoots and new blooms will emerge. It's a relationship between the one that brings so much delight and the one that gets the chance to provide care.
And this is like living. Things are constantly coming and going, some taking more time than others, always there is the experience of fullness and fading. It doesn't matter if it's a flower, a tree, a pet, a person. This is the path... and it becomes clear that everything about living is about coming and going. When one misses this fact, then one misses the whole point. Individuals have their own ways of being with this phenomenon. So it is easy to miss that this is the fundamental experience of being alive. If able-bodied, the path may be exercise tennis, biking, hiking, swimming (note: these are individual endeavors and there are also team activities too). If one is not inclined (or unable) to engage in physical movement, then one might decide their path is reading, drawing, playing music. If there is no inspiration to do anything at all - well, that is also a way of coming and going. No single way, but a myriad of ways.
For some reason, this image brought a smile. It is familiar, gentle, delicate. It brings a feeling of both appreciation for all that has been; and a feeling of sadness for all that is about to happen - because you can see there will be a change by looking at the way the flowers sit and the stems bend.
The feeling of the moment is that there is, at some very deep level, knowing that life is all about coming and going. The way one chooses to be with this phenomenon is varied, but the fundamental shared reality is that. We have limited time to blossom, stand in the light, and then fade. It is all captured in the orchid's offering to accept the invitation to reflect, to nurture life as best as one can, and then allow for the next cycle to come.