La Belle's Hobby Farm: Farmgirl Meditations on Beauty

But he who dares not grasp the thorn

Should never crave the rose.

~ Anne Brontë

In September, I’m participating in the Sapphire Even Day Blogging Challenge and the Two Pages-A-Day Writing Challenge. 

A

wise gardener sees beauty in the grotesque.  

She takes nothing at face value.  Where others may see death and decay, she sees rebirth and nourishment.  Where they see an insect to be feared or destroyed, she sees a predator that takes care of invasive insects that would otherwise destroy her plants.

Patience is usually held up as the virtue of the gardener.  And it is, but it’s not the

foundational virtue.  Rather, the gardener’s cornerstone is a heart that is unconditionally accepting and eyes that pierce the surface layer.  And this gift is especially needed in the first blush of autumn, when the summer harvest has dwindled to a trickle, and the fall plantings have not yet matured.

In my garden, the tomato vines are withering away, but they valiantly support fruit that is still green.  If I were more concerned with mere appearance and less with harvesting the last of summer’s bounty, I would have pulled up the ugly plants long ago.  But I know if I leave some fruit on the vine and it drops to the ground, I will have volunteers next year. 

So glad to share my marigolds with the bees!
© 2013, Mikaela D’Eigh

Same for the marigolds.  The little ninjas seemed to explode every time my back was turned and they are still going strong.  But several of them have turned brown.  But if I pull them out before the seed pods are fully dry, the seeds will rot.  So I harvest what I can and wait for the others to dry.  The brown stalks don’t appear ugly to me.   

They are beautiful because they carry the promise of next spring.

My Love is a Garden

The heart too has its seasons: seasons of growth, of harvest, of joy, and of death and pain.  It is easy to see the seasons of joy as beautiful and the wintery days of pain as ugly.  But everything we experience is beautiful if we allow ourselves to see it.  The cultivation of this type of sight doesn’t come to the heart overnight.

A gardener learns through her mistakes and grows a more abundant harvest the following year.  So too a soul learns to weed when she needs to, to harvest when the time is right, and to use every experience as spiritual and emotional compost, so that the next harvest is richer, stronger, sweeter.

While we wait for the storm to pass, try to remember that it is nourishing the roots.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

How is your fall garden faring?  And how is your heart preparing for Autumn?

Hotness is in the Eye of the Beholder

Beauty and femininity are ageless and can't be contrived,
and glamour, although the manufacturers won't like this, cannot be manufactured.
Not real glamour; it's based on femininity.

~ Marilyn Monroe

In August, I’m participating in BlogHer’s Blogging Challenge.  The theme this month is: Hot.

I

am a big hypocrite.

Today’s writing prompt from BlogHer was

“What makes a woman hot? Is it something physical, an intangible personality trait, or something else entirely that labels a person as hot?”

and in my opinion, “hotness” is a term used almost exclusively to describe someone’s physical appearance and little about their true character.  For instance, I think that Benedict Cumberbatch is “hot” but I don’t know the man from Adam.  His mesmerizing voice along with his good looks are captivating, but in real life, he could delight in tearing the wings off of dragonflies, and kicking puppies.  And for some, that would not detract one iota from his “hotness.”  Which is quite shallow and objectifying, really.

But of course, I occasionally revert to an OMG tween and still use the term.

If You Ain’t Got Confidence. . .

Rather, I should ask what makes a person beautiful or attractive.   Because the number one thing that is attractive about a man or a woman is their confidence.  When a person is at home in their own skin, that confidence draws you in, sits you in the easy chair, and hands you your favorite cocktail.  You  just feel at ease and welcomed in their presence.  And that kind of laid back confidence cannot be faked.

Unconditional acceptance is a twin to confidence.  If you're not comfortable in your own skin, you may not be comfortable with someone who is different.  However, if you accept who you are, both the good, the  bad, and the bone-ugly, then you are more likely to be non-judgmental and accepting of others just as they are. 

Two Ears, One Mouth

The second thing that makes someone attractive is unselfishness kindness.  The cup may not runneth over with self-confidence, but if you concentrate on the other person, taking time to really see them and listen to their story, you will forget your own tale of woe and cease to remember all your (real and imagined) imperfections and faults.   And let’s face it, someone who acts like we’re the most important person they could be talking with in that moment?

That’s pretty hot.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Beauty is both objective and subjective.  What else do you think makes a person beautiful or attractive?

Top Five Friday: Teapots!

When we sip tea, we are on our way to serenity.
~ Alexandra Stoddard

B

eauty can be found and enjoyed everywhere and anywhere.  You just have to look for it.  Alexandra Stoddard is one of my favorite lifestyle authors, and a great proponent of making the ordinary into something magical and beautiful.

We are so rushed today, so scattered.  Even our coffee shops have drive-thrus now.  Convenient, to be sure, but hardly conducive to beauty, rest, and appreciation.  Tea is an art, and can be a beautiful, serene part of your day ~ either at the beginning, on a work break, or in the evening.

And it starts with a beautiful teapot.  Here are some of my favorites that I would love to add to my collection!

Pink Vines - Porcelain

Love the set! I have this in a deep red.

Wedgewood Oberon

Classic

Morning Meadows

Dragonflies – my favorite!

Wings of Grace

Whimsical

 

Summer Countryside

What can I say – I’m a girly girl!

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

How do you surround yourself with beauty?