I have a grandmother who is what you would have called a hippie, but she wasn't what you think she was, with bell bottoms, not showering, with long flowing hair, and did drugs to be one with the world, or whatever your definition of it is, well she loved the earth and I mean she loved everything thing about right down to the dirt to the atmosphere. Well one day when I was young, and I remember this quite clearly, I was at her house in the middle of I would say no where but it was somewhere I just don't know, for she is now where earth used to be like she used to say, I didn't know what she meant by it but maybe you will after I tell you her wisdom.
My mother used to say" your grandma hasn't been her self in quite some time, you shouldn't listen to her babbling, she's with fantasies of the world" I never knew what to say but I just nodded my head. Well when I was staying with her during the spring, the most beautiful time to be at her house or some kinda cottage which was beaten down but looked surprisingly modern. She would always be on the hill overlooking the sea of grass and brightly colored flowers and trees as big as houses with there tree tops would create giant dark shadowy spots in contrast of the light of shades of greenery. Sitting down she would be, beneath the the patchy tree, whenever I would approach her she would say " come sit, no need to stay in the shadows of me" she would grab my hands as soon as I sat down and look me in my young eyes " you are so so fragile my child, you have so much to see and learn of Mother Earth and its restless creatures that roam" I was puzzled I'm not weak, sensing this she gave me a little smirk " but you are not weak, you may be fragile but you are not weak, for what I mean is, there will be people who want to hurt you, abuse, use you , people who would do anything for them to see you beneath their feet, you mustn't let them for they are battling something within and do not know" I remained silent, she continued, " you will need to know the Mother Earth first, to understand, for it is your first home after all" " what i am going to teach you today is what she has taught me, before I get there, you know about Father Time ?" I swallowed and croaked and nodded out "yes, I do" " well good for she and him have been in an eternity embrace, just like life and death( life sends gifts to death and he keeps them forever),entwined forever, one cannot be without the other" suddenly she burst out laughing, tearing up, I, a bit confused asked her why she was laughing, she said in between pauses of laughter, " I kinda getting off track, I have so much to tell you, so much for you to learn, but I cannot do it in a span of a week" " well anyways my dear, I'll tell you about the lessons of the creatures today" " imma tell you a short story" she begins " a flower tells the tree" why are you soo tall there's no need to be that tall?" " the tree replies " I need to be for how will I grow and make this fruit if I'm as small as you" the flower remarks but I'm better than you for I don't need to grow fruit, I'm already perfect and you are not for you need decorations to be beautiful" " I will always beat you in beauty, I'm a flower, with glowing colors and not you with your dullness and stiffness" Mother Earth having over heard this conversation stepped in " now flower" I'm a stern voice " tree is as beautiful as you are tree doesn't need to be a flower to be like you"
" tree is like that for a reason the same reason you are how you are" " you provide beauty to all who see, tree provides food and shade to those who seek it, just like grass provides hiding and a bed for some" " you see you all have beauty just in different shapes" after her she told the story she exclaimed " did you get the message" I shook my head " she huffed " the lesson is everything has something to offer no matter who or what you are" " just like with beauty, you might not be a beautiful flower but that don't matter there are beautiful trees with more beauty then flowers have" " everyone and everything has something to teach you, like some people come into your life as a lesson or a blessing, figuring that out is tuff but you'll know when you come across that bridge" " you see this flower, what do think it has to teach us ?" I stunned can't think of anything to say so I spit out " to be proud of yourself ...?" she looked at me and stood silent for a couple seconds before she said " well that's one of them but everything has that already, but what it's tying to teach is this ' if you sit among us we will teach you the art of opening up' " she continues on and points to the mountains which are barely visible from where we sit, only the peaks we see, " what do you think the snowy mountains will teach us?" I once again don't know what to say so I think for I minute, watching my grandma staring ahead, before I spoke I noticed something I hadn't noticed before, and that was the gentle breeze blowing, making the sea of grass ripple making waves, rolling to where we sat, I saw how the breeze made the leaves scrape against other leaves and making their music with the wind's lowered voice, I saw the flowers dancing along with the rhythm, I for one hadn't noticed how blue the sky was , such an awestruck color it was, I witnessed the mountains, they looked so unnaturally natural, almost unreal, i felt like I was discovering the world for the first, I can't describe the feeling, overwhelming feeling of comprehension, peaceful, like I just solved something within my soul, I saw beauty everywhere and in everything " I see you have now started seeing instead of looking" my grandma chuckled " she stated " you are starting to learn, that the beginning, starting over with how how you, once you begin your body will now follow for the eyes are what leads the way into the future" soo have you thought of what the snowy mountains will teach?" I however, hadn't yet gotten answer so I just said " i don't know grandma" she let out a breath " they'll teach you this ' if you stand on top of us we will teach you to let go' " we locked eyes she continued " you see this tree" she touches the tree next to her " it'll teach you this ' if you sit beneath us we will teach you how to have patience' " " you see, everything has its wisdom, you just gotta listen, for the world has wisdom to who's who know and will have time to listen, if you listen you'll learn so much more of everything, this rock has a voice too and it says ' if you pick us up we'll teach you to be strong and proud' " " just remember if you face difficulties just turn to nature for it will always listen and teach you" I nod in understanding and ask " do animals have lessons too ?" She smiles like she been waiting for that question " well of course they do you see that bird flying overhead it'll teach us that we all have our wings to fly, that we can go anywhere we desire but yet we still stay rooted to the same place" " now now child , the sun starting to set , we should start heading back" I astonished hadn't noticed everything was darkening, so we stood and started heading back, " we'll come back tomorrow to finish this lesson" I looked back and saw the first hint of glistening stars, the beautiful shades of colors mixing together in the sky and heard the quite rustling of the trees hushing each other while they listen to the chirping of the crickets, I left inside for the last thing I felt was the grass ticking my feet.
Well I guess I understood what she meant to be with "I'll be where the earth used be "
