For the past few months, we have been lucky enough to observe something quite special. Every day, a white dove visits the bird feeder next door which we have the benefit of seeing out of our kitchen window. I call to Lincoln every time I notice it as, somehow, it is just a bit magical and it stops us in our busyness for a few seconds while we admire this unique visitor. I can imagine my mum smiling at this point if she is reading this as, often, she would try and draw the attention of her three, young children to what must have been a remarkable sunset but we, as kids, were probably focused on something else and didn’t then share her sense of wonder. I wish I had paid more attention as now I know how much joy those sunsets must have brought her.  

I feel as though the dove choses to visit next door partly due to the careful planning and attentive work that goes into their garden to make it the exquisite place that it is. With attractive plants, thoughtful bird-feeders and a thriving pond, the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere attracts a variety of wildlife.

I confess that the Smith Garden is NOT a garden of serenity, particularly since we obtained a puppy that we didn’t completely realise was going to grow to 32 kilos. That’s a story for another day. For us, we are not yet in the stage of life where we plan a garden and patiently watch it grow, attend to pristine lawns and spend time cultivating delightful flower beds. We are in a stage of life where the lawn is used for football and tennis practice and is eaten (and used as other things) by a huge labradoodle who thinks we have gifted it to him as his domain. (A lawn expert once told me that it would help the lawn if we cut the grass. This advice still amuses me).

And I think that life is a bit like that; it comes in stages. And being in a busy, slightly chaotic phase is ok. There is a lot of fun and adventure to be found there. But what has been missing for me lately has been that little bit of space set apart for rest and reflection. I appreciate, whilst observing the dove next door, it is not likely that this beautiful bird of peace will look over the fence from its perch in paradise and think it may want to spend some time in our noisy, scruffy waste-land. If we wanted to tempt it over, there would need to be some reordering of things and the creation of a calm and welcoming atmosphere. That would require time and mindful planning.

Again, in life, when I observe the people that I feel have peace in their lives, I believe that’s partly because they have made mental room for it and have purposefully decided to set aside a part of their life to cultivate a space where peace feels welcome and can reside. So, I am going to try and discover ways to do the same. It won’t be a big plot of land in my head to start with as there needs to be a bit of a clearing of some old debris, but hopefully there will be enough that peace will find me and soon become a regular visitor.

PS there is every chance the bird in question is a just a white pigeon but that’s not quite as magical is it? So let’s just pretend. 😊