The magic is this: in spring, to watch the young grass peeping out between the stones; in summer, to lift an eye at the lazy clouds; in autumn, to follow the leaves that dance in the wind; in winter, to wake and find the tracks of the birds in the snow. To rise at dawn and go to sleep at sunset; to eat rice three times a day; to talk of buying and selling with one’s neighbors; to chew the seeds of the watermelon and to plait straw ropes around the toes.
This zen saying is so wonderful and so simple. We get so wrapped up in our busy lives, the time goes by so fast, and suddenly we realize we have missed the good stuff—watching nature year after year, flow from season to season. Maybe all of us should take some time this year and lay on our backs, no phones, no music, just watch the clouds roll by and make shapes like we did when we were kids. Then plait the straw around your toes and laugh!