Metaphorical pear, real flowers.

Whatever you do,
do it gently and unhurriedly,
because virtue is not a pear
to be eaten in one bite.

-Saint Seraphim of Sarov

These words from St. Seraphim came into my mind this morning. They comprise one of my favorite quotes of of all time. It’s a strong admonition, but its simplicity and poetry display that gentleness that St. Seraphim was known for. The advice is what I need! I am always hurrying, trying to pack in too many activities, and it is hard to be gentle when one is making multiple messes (visible and invisible) with no time to clean up.

I did a lot of cooking today, and I cleaned up! But before that, I went into the garden to pick a fistful of greens for breakfast. Last night was the coldest yet this winter. But more flowers — and ice crystals — have bloomed since I last looked.

Many of my readers will not see the end of winter for a couple more months,
but I hope you will discover at least a metaphorical flower or two blooming nearby.

6 thoughts on “Metaphorical pear, real flowers.”

I agree about not hurrying – so much gets lost when we hurry. Not having to turn up at work at a certain time has definitely given me more time to be unhurried, and I love it.

It was a freezing night, wasn’t it? I’m sure I’ve lost a couple plants – but maybe, they might come back.

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Your seasons appear to be more clearly defined than ours. From reading northern hemisphere blogs I have gained a deeper appreciation of why spring is looked forward to so greatly. It is lovely to see that you have some flowers blooming in your garden already.

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In spite of my resolutions I still find myself hurrying and losing any inner peace that I might have. It’s discouraging to battle this aspect of my temperament and I suppose I’ll keep trying to slow down and avoid getting my shirt in a knot until my last days!

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