Busy week. On a whim, I picked up the latest issue of Fine Gardening, and got inspired by an article on front entrances. So, I’ve been working on my front yard, adding plants and generally improving it.
The article advises that you treat your front walk almost like a series of hypnotic suggestions. You step off the sidewalk, along this stretch, around the bend, past the statues, through the gate, and up to the front door. Or whatever. It’s a relaxing rhythm that can help you to feel like you’re home before you even enter the front door.
So, I’ve been buying plants. In odd numbers, and in relatively large numbers (three to five at a time). Gardens just look nicer when there are large swaths of color, instead of just one or two plants poking out of the ground here and there.
And I’ve been watching anime, two episodes per night. Beck recently. A great show about a Japanese teenager getting into his local rock’n’roll scene. It’s a remarkably non-childish look at what it’s like to get into something new.
There’s a wonderful scene in episode four, just after the main character’s hit a really rough point. In the first episode, his favorite musician is a typical Japanese pop star, a girl with nice, happy music. When he gets depressed in episode four, we cut to him sitting in his room, slumped over, headphones on, listening to this pop star’s music. It’s light. It’s happy. And it’s doing nothing for him.
He’s outgrown it.
Painful, in some ways. But human, and ultimately a wonderful thing. He’s moving on. May we all move on.