Musings as I Mow

I don't know what it is about mowing the lawn, but my mind goes into deep-thinking mode as I go about the mindless task of circling the lawn as I tend to the job at hand. It makes me wonder what Dad thought about as he put on endless miles on his tractor/combine as he circled his land long ago ...

This morning my thoughts went to the lilac bush that I was so happy to find still standing on our old farm home site. I have very few memories of my childhood, but the one memory that I do have that is strong, is the wafting scent of those lilacs, as I played in our yard at the farm as a child.

To this day, I love the lingering scent of a lilac bush as you walk by when it is in full bloom. It is a sensory 'touch' and brings back such a feeling of happiness. It is a light and unassuming scent. The blossoms come and go quickly, but while they are in full bloom they make their mark.

My thoughts deepened as I thought of lilacs and how I relate to them. I thought of the lilac bush that I have in my back yard. A bush that I 'live with' throughout every season of the year. From the budding of the leaves in the spring; to the enjoyment of the flowers and light aroma in their 'summer'; the tree in its unadorned plainness during our summer; to the twigs in the winter as it hunkers down to survive the dormant season only to reawaken in the spring.

I feel akin to that lilac bush. My seasons don't necessarily correlate with the seasons of the year, but there is the season of rebirth that follows every dormant and stagnant season.

The lethargy, the hum drum feeling of living the same old life, day after day. Or a time when I must retreat within myself to take root and survive a tough 'winter' ...

This season is followed by a reawakening. A rebirth, a new perspective. And sometimes it gives birth to a 'bud' of an idea or goal.

As the idea takes root, it grows and eventually there is a burst of excitement as a goal is reached ... the idea has blossomed for others to enjoy. I like to think of the wafting scent of that lilac as the way I waft in and out of peoples lives. I may have touched a small part of their life and I hope that the scent I leave behind is light and memorable as the unimposing aroma of a lilac bush as you walk by.

Then there is the longest season. The season where the bush just sits there, fully in leaf and requiring little maintenance until the leaves finally fall in the autumn of our seasons. This is the season that I like to think of as the mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, niece or friend in me. I'm simply 'there' in an ordinary way ...

But every now and then, I do need to shed some leaves and I have a small but mighty group of supporting people that are there, during that necessary process.

When I leave this earth, I hope that the memory I leave behind is that of a lilac in full bloom. Let my memory waft in and out of your consciousness and leave a pleasant scent in its wake ...