Lazy Saturday Afternoon Thoughts

You can hear lawn mowers humming in the distance, and children's voices in play ever so faint, just too far off to be heard without leaning into the direction of the gentle breeze. It sounds like laughter.
The sun is bright, the color of the sunflowers that stand tall along the picket fence. I never bothered to look at the clouds today and that's a bit odd, except that so many other things caught my attention.
The cantaloupes peeking out from under the leaves, the mullein in bloom, tall torches of yellow, full of bees.
Trumpet vines reaching higher and higher in the old cottonwood tree. Fergus begging to play soccer with me and I consent but half heartedly as I would rather just wander around, looking, seeking and being amazed by the smallest marvels in nature. Simple things really. A strange black bug, a leaf that has fallen from the burr oak, tiny blue flowering weeds, and on and on. I check out the mint that grows near the fence to the garden, thinking I should pick some tomorrow while the dew is still on it and make tea. There seems something ancient and magical to me to pick things while the dew is still on them, as if the dew could be tasted and would nourish me in some special way. Silly, yes of course, but fun all the same. Silliness is good for the soul some times. I love lazy summer Saturdays. Nothing pressing, nothing demanding. Just a day to enjoy what is around me. Maybe the dishes in the sink try to demand my attention or the basket of dirty clothes, or the unfinished projects laying in my basket next to my rocking chair, but their demands go ignored today. There is always "later". I heard on TV last night about the benefits of deep breathing and I smile as I think about it. I have done that for over 30 years. Deep deep breath, from the stomach. Count to ten to inhale, hold for 10, exhale to the count of 10. That's what I do. I don't think I count any more though, it seems I just lay in bed and breath and think about my breath and how it is my life force. On TV they said it was one of the best stress busters. They also mentioned something about asthma patients who deep breath end up dumping their inhalers, large percentage of them. Over 80%. Simple things in life like breathing a certain way change our health. I wonder, have we all forgot how to breath in this stressful, maxed out life of running here and there, chasing what ? To keep up with the Joneses ? No, we don't even know the Joneses any more. We don't know our neighbors. We have cyber friends, less demanding. On our terms. Easier. They know us but only what we want them to know.
We rush around for what, chasing something ? I asked that but I am not sure I really know the answer. There seems to be such a need in people, an emptiness and something worse, being busy, rushed, chasing whatever, lets you go on never looking at yourself. Never knowing who and what you are. You can avoid looking in the mirror of your soul when you are too busy to stop. Owning so much, we have to organize it, have money for it, work for the money, we worry about the stuff. Will it be safe ? Do we need more locks ? Can I pay for it ? Who cares if someone is starving in Africa someplace, I need my "stuff".
Average annual income in most 3 rd world countries equal about the price of 50 yards of fabric, going out to eat 50 times, buying a new chair for the living room.
Renting 160 movies. Buying 5 pair of fancy shoes.
Going to Goodwill 50 times and spending $10 each time on "stuff". Ouch....
I think I just stopped a minute and looked in that mirror that reflects who we really are.