In the morning,  the young sunflower waits for the sun to come up over the barn, she begins to open, head hanging down, petals emerging. By afternoon, she will be standing upright, the petals fully opened, she will be standing tall and proud to meet the direct gaze of the sun. I loved the yellow and tone of the petals, she is heading to adolescence, a symbol to me of my own need to open up.

As we get older, it is natural to close up, to lament the old days, to look backwards because it is sometimes overwhelming to look ahead. Every day I remind myself to  open up, closing is the first death, the death of the soul.  I open up to love, to compassion, to thoughtfulness, to creativity and change, to community and connection.