Rocky Mountain Bee Plant | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

This post is a mashup of The Little Bliss List and Joy Jam, and as such is meant to celebrate: the little things that brought me hope and happiness this week, the sweet stuff of life, those small gifts that brought me joy this week. By sharing them, I not only make public my gratitude, but maybe also help you notice your own good stuff and send some positive energy out into the world.

1. Flowers on my desk. And the message from the universe that said it was more than okay to buy them.

2. Watermelon. It’s the season here, and I am obsessed with that juicy, luscious, sweet flavor.

3. Massage. Whether it’s a paid professional or Eric, this is such a gift for my tense, tired, sore self. It’s one of the times in my life when I am able to fully relax, so much that I’ve been known to fall asleep.

4. Practice. These days my yoga, meditation, and writing practices have been so beneficial, provide such clarity and relief, and I’m so grateful.

5. Rocky Mountain Bee Plants, the bees that love them, the riot of noise and color and activity that lives in our front yard.

Bonus Joy: Dexter hasn’t reverse sneezed for the past seven days. I love that dude so much.

d lounging in the backyard

I am utterly obsessed with our Rocky Mountain Bee Plants and the hundreds of bees, yellow jackets, bumble bees, ants, and occasional butterfly or hummingbird that feed from them.

I go out in the morning and stand amazed next to that riot of noise and activity, color and smell. All those soft animal bodies, that busy insect and plant life, working so hard, doing so naturally what they do.

I am endlessly fascinated by the tiny spikes and curls on the plants, the pollen covered legs of the bees and the lines of dark veins in their transparent wings, so fragile and yet the very thing that allows them the gift of flight.

I am completely humbled by the fact that I never planted or planned any of this, but rather one day these interesting “weeds” showed up in my flower bed and I decided to wait and see what they would look like, having no idea that three years later they would grow taller than me and feed what seems like all the bees in Fort Collins.