Dear friends,
Pictured here is a photo from Filoli Gardens, a vast estate of 654 acres once owned by Lurline Roth (her father founded and operated Matson, Inc., a shipping corporation.) She donated the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and happily for many Bay Area residents, a nonprofit organization maintains and operates the estate and allows visitors to come year-round.
My two good friends from college, Mary Creigh and Janet, love going to Filoli as they enjoy gardening and know all kinds of things about plants, trees, flowers . . . you get the picture. I tag along as a gardening ignoramus, keenly enjoying being with my friends, and simply taking in the garden with gratitude. On this trip about a month ago, I noticed something different about the nature of our conversation. This time, we talked more about the changing seasons and how the plants reflect the life cycle. We talked about how natural it is for plants to erupt in glorious color or vivid greenery in spring and then to fade away in a quiet passing in autumn and winter. . . No fuss, it’s the nature of life.
We contrasted that with human beings’ preoccupation with extending life at all costs, thus interrupting what may be considered nature’s life cycle. We talked about how much happier we could be if instead, we savored each season of our lives, for even autumn and winter have a special beauty of their own. Unlike plants however, we human beings are gifted (or cursed) with the ability to plan, anticipate, and act to alter conditions inimical to our best interests. I don’t know the answer to all this, but I can appreciate that nature offers alternatives to our modern thinking about our own life cycle.
With my best wishes,
Cora
