Sproutings

You know the $1 aisle in Target, full of generally useless but occasionally surprisingly cool things? Well, John and I bought a tiny little basil growing kit from the dollar aisle, brought it home, and started our tiny sprout pot over the weekend. And to my amazement and delight, it is actually growing! The tender little green sprouts quickly appeared and are growing fast, pushing their brave little heads up and up toward the sunlight. This tiny miracle has placed more genuine, child-like wonderment in my heart than I can possibly explain. (And I already have the amazement capacity of a five-year-old.)

Spring hit Nashville a few weeks ago in dazzling parades of blossoming trees and flowers: bright white, then pink, then purple, pear trees and dogwoods, tulips, tulips, and more tulips; and already spring is expanding into summer lushness--everything has turned green and sprawled out to reclaim all that barren space that winter stole. It is striking to watch it happen--life just appearing as if from no where and taking up all the space that we'll give it. I can't get over how green everything is after that long, dead winter.

As if in parallel, I am finally beginning to open up to Nashville, perhaps even to like it. Sometimes I don't even mind the traffic.