Guest Author: Nan Toby
During the past four weeks I have been paying close attention to all that surrounds me. In my own backyard the new daffodils and bluebells and small vinca vines are climbing out from under the fence. It seems that spring is calling out to me, “Look at this color and array of beauty at your feet. Pay attention and nurture this earth with water, light and careful pruning.”

I even see the lilies of the valley beginning to rise. And this changes my life. It makes me take care of what I can. There are days of long hours of wondering how to use this time wisely and then I realize I am living my life, one hour at a time in a rare, challenging landscape. It is both an internal landscape as well as a physical landscape. When I walk by the farm each morning with my dog, I observe the cows and calves and how they graze and rest in the grassy field. They seem content and they are lucky to have such a peaceful pasture to enjoy.

I have discovered that I, too, can make small changes in my choices of what to bake or which foods I really savor, the joys of reading cookbooks and of sitting reading a few poems by Robert Frost or Mary Oliver or Galway Kinnell. There is no need to rush. And for the first time I have no agenda. Yet the need for structure is a very important part of my own life. As a former educator, teaching children most of my life has been spent in creating and fostering a rich environment for students to pursue their interests and build their skills in reading and writing and thinking. So now I have tried to balance my days with music, practice at the piano, reading, exercising, and garden and house work. I leave time for laughter and reaching out to friends and neighbors. I keep in touch with my son who lives in Denver, Colorado with his family. And then I try to find a way to be of service.

Life moves by and I am comforted by this thought from Albert Einstein, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”

So for now that is my passion to experience the mystery surrounding me in all forms.

It’s a lesson in patience, love and challenge for me. I wonder if others, too, have found a new path to explore.