Spruce cones in grass
I was picking up dog poop in my back yard yesterday. Sorry to mention such a thing, but I am glad it happens. It’s one way I keep tabs on my dog’s health.
I noticed as I was walking up and down the lawn that there were more spruce tree cones than there was dog poop. Sometimes the cones almost fooled me into thinking they were dog poop!
There were so many cones that I only picked up a few of them. Some were really pretty. I wondered what I could do with them. Make something creative like a spruce cone wreathe or a necklace?
Those were interesting ideas, but I didn’t have time to make them. Maybe one of these days I will be able to create something beautiful out of the cones.
It’s easy to get ideas, but it’s not so easy to put them into practice. Some people have so many ideas that they spill out of them like a freefalling waterfall. They come up with so many ideas that it would take hundreds, maybe thousands, of people to put all of them into practice.
It can be depressing to come up with so many ideas that never become reality. So I think I am going to spend a little time around my two spruce trees, thanking them for the gifts of their beautiful cones. Then I will pick up several of the prettiest cones and spread them out on the cement patio so I can look at them all.
As I study all those cones, I will quiet my mind and say “thank you” many times for all of them. Saying thank you repeatedly is a way to help your mind quiet down. It’s a way to express your gratitude when other thoughts don’t mill around in your brain.
Sometimes when we get quiet, a really interesting idea might pop into our heads. Not hundreds of ideas. Just one.
Then we can focus on that one idea until it starts to take shape. I wonder what idea will come to me as I study all those cones in a spirit of gratitude.
You might find leaves, twigs, rocks or something else in your yard with which you could create something. Gather them up. Study them as you express thanks for them. I wonder what amazing idea will pop into your head about what to do with your collection.