For as long as I can remember- I’ve believed that when we focus on something- it expands. Sometimes it is as simple as thinking about said thing- and in some form or another it will appear in your life.
As a not-so-glamorous example- Last night I was thinking… It had been a while since my cat had thrown up, which I was (note: past tense ) grateful for. It literally crossed my thoughts and left as quickly as it entered and yet- this morning at 6 am- guess who threw up on the bed? You guessed it.
My first thought was- try never to think about the cat throwing up again.
But there are also beautiful things that happen along this same line- but it is so important to not only be aware of what we put out into the world- but also be specific when it’s something we wish for.
It’s no secret if you know me in my daily life- that The Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite movies. As a child- I didn’t see the deeply rooted significance about Dorothy Gale from Kansas and how her technicolor trip to Oz via tornado taught her one of life’s biggest lessons- We always have the power, but at first we have to believe it.
There is a scene in the movie where the Wicked Witch casts a spell over them to fall asleep in a field of poppys as they are on their way to see the Great and powerful Oz. As a small girl, that was the first time I ever saw a poppy, television or otherwise and I was drawn to the deep beautiful red color. Since Poppies aren’t native to the Deep South- it wasn’t until the early 90’s before I saw poppies for the first time in Southern California on a hillside- it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.
Fast forward to many years later- This time of the years the poppies appear across the countryside here- growing wild and their beautiful color joy inducing. Last year- in the midst of the pandemic- the garden became the place we met a few friends and we poured a lot of time and energy into beginning to turn it into a beautiful oasis of peace and rest. Last year I noticed a few mauve poppies in the garden, and yet I couldn’t help but wish for more- and also the red beautiful poppies I loved so much.
This spring- as I was clearing weeds after much rainfall- I noticed a few plants growing at al alarming speed and dwarfing my already struggling hydrangeas that a friend gave me last year when she redid her own garden. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it looked like ‘something’ so I decided to let it grow and see what it became. The following day- I noticed another of the same type of plant opposite of that one- also in the ‘way’ of other plants that had been placed there intentionally. I left it to grow and for weeks it kept getting taller, but it seemed to be doing ‘nothing’. I was at the point where I had become impatient with it- as it wasn’t the most beautiful of greenery and I noticed a small bud, which compelled me to look closer- and from there I saw many blooms. Over the weeks that followed the blooms multiplied at a fast pace and I knew from the first bloom it was a poppy plant- both of them. A different variety than the mauve ones, but ones that were most likely to be red.
Indeed- as they began to bloom- I smiled & even cried on one occasion- in awe that nature- all these years later had given me my very own poppy ‘field’ one that I didn’t plant, but that ‘showed up’.
As the time went along- other poppies appeared- the mauve variants all over the garden in random spots- They never once fail to make me smile.
Last week I saw a deep fuschia poppy somewhere else- and smiled having never seen that color before and loving it. Today- one of that exact color was blooming in my garden.
Coincidence? I think not-
It’s a reminder that I need to remember that where my focus is- so am I- and how after the past couple of years of struggling and having so much heartache and heartbreak that I have to refocus and know that life is not perfect, but it gives us tiny little gifts each day to fill our hearts- and those are worth noticing.