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the ripening

by | Jul 12, 2024

Living in LA, there were times during a hectic day when I would (only half-jokingly) claim that I was about to move to the country to raise goats and make really good organic goat cheese.

Why goats? I have no idea. I’ve never even encountered a live goat. But, that’s another story…

Yesterday, amidst renovations, a power outage, and a little too much minutiae, I thought, I can no longer threaten to move to the country because I’m already here.

Okay, Valentyne, what do you need?

What I was really asking for in my fantasy of moving to the country was simplicity, connection to nature, presence, and flow—all things that are readily available with prioritization.

So, down the road to the berry farm I went!

I left my shoes in the car, and as soon as my bare feet hit the grass, everything that wasn’t necessary started to fall away. My nervous system remembered its natural state. Everything softened and relaxed. There was only me, the birds, the butterflies, the blueberries, and some beautiful clouds.

And through the blueberries, I remembered some things that are always true:
Nature really does make everything better.
W
hen we aren’t present, we are either in a state of stagnancy or rushing.
In nature, our energetic flow returns to its natural state of alignment. We flow.                                                                                                                                                                                                               When the nervous system regulates, the body relaxes, the mind becomes clear, and connection creates empowerment and confidence.

But here’s what else is cool about living in a microclimate with an organic blueberry farm down the road—a reminder of divine and perfect timing…
There can be six or seven blueberries clustered on one set of stems, two of which are still light purple. A couple are white, and then some are perfectly ripe in their state of divine blue, ready to be picked and enjoyed.

This doesn’t happen through competition. They’re not saying to each other, I get the sun first. Let me soak up the rain. I need it more.
No. There’s a belief in an infinite source of supply that is always available when needed and that by simply being in our state of being, all of our needs are met.

I am reminded of this spiritual truth each time I visit the blueberry farm.
On the way back to the car, I always pause to visit the short row of raspberry bushes.

Did I mention that I love berries way more than goat cheese?

The raspberries remind me of one of my favorite truths:
Where there’s challenge, there’s support.

I love raspberries, and I don’t like things that are prickly.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Guess what? Raspberry bushes are super prickly.

A day of real raspberry picking requires a whole outfit—not the cut-offs and T-shirt I was wearing last night.
Yet there were some perfectly juicy berries calling to me. And they were well worth the brambles I had to encounter to enjoy them.

My invitation today is simple: Spend more time in nature.

Even if you live in a high-rise, and that means looking out the window when you first wake up. Pay attention. Get your bare feet on the ground, whether that is sand, dirt, or grass. Breathe it in, listen to the bird choir, feel all the goodness.

Receive the beauty of nature and let it have its way with you.

Love + Magic,

Amber