❤ Living in a Garden of Roses

I am a tree, a palm tree. I live in Jerusalem’s Garden of Roses. I have met Yvette over her many visits to the garden over the years. Recently, she asked my permission to write something on my house, in my name. I agreed.

In this article Yvette will try to transmit to you my impressions of the coronavirus season which was felt here from March 2020 as best as she can sense them.

Let me first, introduce my home to you, the Garden of Roses: It is located in Jerusalem’s Talbiya neighborhood. Its southern entrance is on Dubnov street and its northern entrance on Pinsker street.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, the park has witnessed a steep rise in visitors. Nowadays, people don’t just come by themselves or with their dogs but in groups.

We have had many groups of cyclists, of gymnasts with their coach, wrestling and yoga groups, Chi Kong and meditation groups.

Yvette’s mindfulness group met here at the park once a week, before the rain season started. Their winter adjustment to their meetings, was that they did not sit in a circle on the lawn as they would do in the summer.

Rather they enjoyed a standing and walking meditation. At the beginning of their gatherings, they would ring a bell to gather everyone’s attention, and then would walk in conscious steps coordinated with their breath, around the garden starting from its lowest and reaching its highest point.

At their last visit at the park before the rain drew them back indoors, they practiced mindful walking.

As they walked in the park, they stepped on snails, tens of them. I heard the snails crashing sounds, cracking their shells. Bit by bit, though, the group became more mindful and started noticing the living creatures under their feet. The more mindful they became, the more they succeeded to walk around safeguarding the snails. We were relieved.

People and their four legged companions refill their energies with beauty and oxygen we provide for them here. As they set out on their mindfulness journey, they learn and practice “inter-being” which means the awareness that they exist not in a vacuum but co-exist, and are an extension of their natural and human surroundings. An extension to their parents and grandparents, an extension to their children and siblings, an extension to the natural surroundings they have been exposed to from birth.

At their mindfulness sessions, the group takes note of our input, of how we trees, flowers and bushes, contribute to their feelings of wellness and ability to be mindful. In these sessions people become mindful of the earth you people walk on, mindful of the sky that is above you, and of the trees that shelter you under their shade, and uplift you with their upright beauty.

The coronavirus has slowed down many people’s lives’ pace. As they slow down, we witness them becoming more present. They now see us and acknowledge us more. Lately people have even started to realize that we trees and bushes and the plant world at large are also conscious beings, with awareness, assisting each other, behind the scenes, through our root system, underground.

Of course, we too have our ways of communicating and exchanging information among us to sustain life.

Dear ones, we have a lot to teach humans. Slowly but surely you will come to us to learn from us and mimic our ways. Like the zero waste principle we abide by for instance. Look how your waste pollutes our shared home. Learn from us how to be waste free.

Now that the bustling of your city lives has diminished due to lockdowns, now that you have more time at your disposal as your gyms and theatres are closed, now is the time of rapprochement between humans and nature. The coronavirus is providing an opening for our bond to get stronger. Come to us dear ones, be with us, and let us learn from each other.

Now is the time for your civilization to perceive the value of outdoor life, the value of green public spaces, the value we provide to you and the planet, when we are healthy and vibrant.

Now is the time for us all to realize that we inter-are. You cannot exist without us. We cannot exist without you protecting us and honoring us.

Let us then learn to take care of each other dear ones. Let us honor each other and provide the conditions for each other’s sustainability and growth.

We are giving you the air you breathe. When you plant us and make sure we are not cut down for no good reason we render the climate livable and enjoyable for all.

Plant, protect and preserve us dear ones, speak for us in your schools and parliaments and ensure our right to be and grow, side by side to you.

From Jerusalem with love,

Yvette Nahmia-Messinas