A Year of Gratitude – June 26, 2024

I found my gratitude in the duality of nature. There’s a lot of that in the garden. I found myself staring at a beautiful example of it early this morning.

I was out doing my morning round of farm chores. The chickens had been let outside. They were making their happy hen sounds while picking through the watermelon rinds and scratch I had just given to them.

The garden was damp from rain. The foliage seemed more vibrant than usual, but perhaps that was due to my tiredness, not being fully awake. No matter the reason, it was beautiful to look at.

I ambled down to the duck house. The ducks heard me approaching and greeted me with their usual excited quacking.

I let them out into their pen and they rushed out the door. Watching them leave the house in such a rush is a bit like watching young children racing to get outside. They’re so excited and I just hope that they all make it out unscathed.

As I walked around the pen, watching them eat their breakfast, I stopped for a moment to appreciate this comfrey plant. A small piece was given to us by a local gardener several years ago. She had grown it for generations on her farm and wanted to share it. It has grown very well in a spot near the duck house.

It grows very tall, towering over the nearby plants. It has such interesting leaves and flowers. The leaves are enormous in size and the flowers are small and delicate. They’re such a pretty color. If you look closer, it has tiny spikes to protect the flowers from pests.

There’s the duality: a pretty, dainty little bloom surrounded by long spiky protrusions. It’s amazing that something so delicate can be paired with imposing barbs, but they are.

There’s beauty in them being together, in something soft and tender being protected. I was glad that I had seen it, and more importantly, taken the time to really experience it.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.