REFER TO GREY: Contemplations by Robert Greigos © 2007-2024

I have a friend who gardens. I don’t, but she has dragged me several times this past spring to garden shops in quest of new things to plant in her garden. Though I’m not a gardener, I do like plants, especially flowers. I tend to be quite visually oriented. So for me, going to garden shops is a bit overwhelming. Color and shape and texture in riotous array everywhere I look. Sometimes, for me, it can feel as overwhelming as reading the news these days.

So, what does one do when one is overwhelmed? Some run and hide. Others try to change the subject, or ignore the obvious, which amounts to the same thing. Some actually throw fate to the wind and dive in to see where waves of whelm take them. I tend to plant my feet on the ground and focus on something simple amidst the crowd of input. I’ll study that thing in detail for a while, then move on to the next bit of minutia with which I feel comfortable engaging.

Who is to say which path is most healthy? But I tend to believe those who engage benefit the most. They take something in that feeds and nourishes them, provides a stepping stone to a more promising future, and leaves them with a memory that is clear and fortifying. Disengagement, running and hiding, or striking out in an effort to destroy what annoys does none of that.

May your summer, this summer, be filled with fortifying nourishing engagement. Running and hiding, or striking out at what annoys, does not a promising future make.