Today while shopping at Aldi’s grocery store, where many people using food stamps shop, I purchased something they cannot buy with food stamps, marigold flowers. Each year I plant marigolds around the raised vegetable garden on our front lawn. A long time ago someone told me that marigolds repel insects. This seems to be true for some plants, although my research says it attracts some insects. But it works for me as the tomato, pepper, basil and eggplants I plant in the front garden seem to flourish bug free. I planted the twelve marigold plants I purchased today but will need some more to place them on all four sides. Another good thing about marigolds is that they get larger as spring and summer goes on and stay in bloom till late fall.
We all need some pretty flowers like Marigolds in our lives and they are really appreciated if they repel the insects that bug us. I got to thinking of marigolds I can plant in my everyday life to protect me from stuff that bugs me. One thing I can do is be careful, very careful of what I write in emails. Emails are good for communicating information but, for me at least, are poor for expressing opinions and ideas. They, like a literal evangelical interpretation of the bible, can easily be misrepresented. Articles, blogs and essays seem like an easier way to communicate opinions and ideas. In person to person communication by face or phone one can always have an exchange back and forth to clarify thoughts but not so in email.
Another marigold in my life is limiting my time at talks and meetings. Over talking, something I know a little about is bothersome but so can be over listening. To really listen takes energy and focus. To hear things deeply and not doing or being able to do anything about what you hear can be frustrating. There is no need to hear the same thing over and over again.
Music can be a marigold. Relaxing music soothes my mind and keeps the insects of life away.
Reading a book, especially a novel, is a good marigold. It involves use of the five senses of the imagination something TV does not do.
Prayer, Meditation, Mindfulness and other means of quieting the mind are marigolds. There are enough marigolds in life to surround the garden of ourselves.
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