a cattail as metaphor for life

this somber seed-head going to fluff, and the jubilant waving abut of the leaves somehow captures my mood today. in a few hours, steve and i will be heading out to celebrate the birthday of one of our dearest friends–erik. what a tremendous gift erik has been in our lives. thinking about him makes me want to flail my leaves about in joyous celebration. meanwhile, there is the somber reality of our democracy going to fluff on this eve of the election. we live in crazy times. but there have been crazier times before this. this cattail will wait out the winter under the lake ice, and emerge again next spring vibrant and green and prepared to do its duty in the community in which it happened to be given life.

november cattail