Nature's balance

I went for a walk on Saturday morning,
to survey the damage from the windstorm.

While we lost a number of trees,
I know we were very, very lucky.

Our home and our outbuildings were unscathed
and the wood can be used to keep our family warm.

But as I walked, I still felt melancholy.
The wounds seemed so raw.

But about three-quarters of the way through my walk,
I realized I'd spent so much time looking for broken and dead trees,
that I'd missed appreciating any life in the forest.

So I looked down and there it was: a promise of a trillium bloom.

Untouched and perfect.

Everywhere I looked I saw them.

And to think that it would have been so easy to miss this.

A simple reminder from Mother Nature
on the beauty of balance:

: there is death, there is birth

: there is old, there is new

: there is weak, there is strong

: there is darkness, there is light

: there is loss, there is abundance

: there is violence, there is peace

Happy belated May Day, everyone!

Madcap Monday -- Let sleeping ducks lie*

* A nod to James Herriot, author of "Let Sleeping Vets Lie".

Back in business!

After a slightly worrying visit from the hydro folks on the weekend (they took one look at the lines, turned to us and said, "Well, how are we supposed to get to that?") our power is restored!

Thanks very much for all your kind words of support, encouragement and 'been there, done that' stories.

I learned a lot from these past few days: firstly, there is a big difference between essential and convenience. The generator only provided power to a few appliances; namely it kept the well pump running, the fridge humming and the sump pumping -- and that was enough to restore my sense of security.

Secondly, I loved the absolute quiet and the complete darkness, save for the gentle glow of candlelight. These three things provided a glimpse into a different world and time, and it was lovely, serene and deeply soul satisfying.

However, the most enlightening lesson was this: I don't respond well to surprises and uncertainty. I thought I was a "roll with it" kinda girl, but evidently I'm not. Not yet.

Experience helps deal with uncertainty. It gives you the information you need to make a plan for next time. For example, I've got a better sense of what preparations we should make before the power goes out again. I'll write more about this soon -- thanks, Amy, for the suggestion!

Experience also aids in confidence building; that regardless of what life throws at me -- even something as minor as a power outage -- I can deal with it. I can cope. It'll be ok.

And recognizing my tendency to "react first, think later" gives me the power to do something different next time. And that kind of power doesn't come from having the lights on.