Verdant Green

As green as it’s ever been.

I awoke to gentle rain this morning. Such a lovely sound for a gardener. Not the blustery wind driven destruction of earlier in the week.

I looked out into my tiny courtyard and marvelled at the tapestry of green, so many amazing variations in hue.

The green theme continued when I met friends for breakfast, telling them how restricted my inspiration has been because of the cumbersome moon-boot. No early morning walks around the neighbourhood gardens for a while.

We spoke of many things, among them a gift of ‘green’ one thoughtful friend had given me. I’m guessing it’s some kind of hybrid chrysanthemum, but lovely what ever it is, and a beautiful shade of lime green.

When I think about it, that’s how I consider myself – green. When it comes to gardening, I’m a green thumb – but also green in the sense of being a naive, of still having much to learn.

A famous frog once said: ‘It’s not that easy being green’.

I beg to differ. Perhaps not easy, but definitely good. Being green, especially if it’s one of the verdant shades in my courtyard, is the best. It means I’m able to admit how little I know. It means I’m open to people telling me things, educating me. After all, who wants to share information with someone who ‘knows everything’?

Here are some of the appealing synonyms for green: fresh, tender, budding, burgeoning, developing, flourishing, pliable, growing, among others. Now tell me those aren’t positive attributes to strive for, especially when one is old enough to carry a lot of dead wood.

But it takes a concerted effort on my part. Not because I know everything, but because no one wants to be thought of as lacking – knowing nothing. Perhaps that’s what Kermit really meant when he said it wasn’t easy being green.

Ego is a relentless adversary.

“… every truth seeker does need to breakdown their ego first to see Truth. If the mind is in the way, the heart won’t see anything.” 
― Suzy Kassem

The rain on my rose bush this morning – verdant green. 

ARTIST: Muppets
TITLE: It’s Not Easy Being Green
Lyrics

It’s not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

It’s not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over ’cause you’re
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green’s the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it’ll do fine, it’s beautiful
And I think it’s what I want to be (ref)