Contemplative Inquiry

4pm,  9 February, Gloucester Park. I notice the ground in front of my feet. New life is emerging, pushing through last year’s fallen leaves. Crocuses – yellow, white, mauve – are making themselves known. Recent rain gives the blades of new green grass a fresh vitality. Feeling curious and energised, I enjoy an extended moment of contemplation on this small patch of land.

Then, looking around me, I find a contrast between the ground – active, emergent blooming – and the trees, with their skeletal branches and latent potential. The exceptions are the willows, already moving towards spring.

I reflect on my different states of attention. If I walk briskly through the park, the flowers in particular are easy to miss. They are small and not  immediately arresting. To appreciate them, I have to decide to stop and look, emptying my mind of other concerns.  Then I can  become truly present to the world in front of me, a living world that wants to survive and thrive. Contemplating these flowers, I feel a strong sense of kinship and belonging. The same world is their home and mine: I feel grateful for being born into it. May the abundance of our world be protected and preserved in the days and years ahead.