Thursday, November 15, 2012

abundance...


I love the word abundance
 
 (part of our HUGE purple garlic crop just harvested) 



abundance (uh-buhn-duhns) : ampleness, bounty, deluge, excess, fecundity, fruitfulness, lavishness, lushness, luxuriance, multitude, myriad, opulence, overflow, plenty, plenitude, profusion, richness, sufficiency, teemingness, wealth...

I suspect for many abundance means having everything that you want  - aka oodles and oodles of STUFF. Here's the rub - for those on the 'get more stuff' treadmill, too much is never enough: the house isn't big enough, the phone isn't new enough, the body isn't thin enough... there's never enough time to make enough money to get enough stuff.... ENOUGH ALREADY!

Real abundance is the sensation that you have more than enough for a rich life: enough time to have a moment for yourself to walk, create, wonder, marvel and to cuddle with loved ones; enough space - physical and psychological - to feel free and unconfined; enough funds to pay for your needs (as opposed to wants); enough water to bathe and drink, enough food to eat --- enough of all the necessities.

Abundance for me means - overflowing dams & rainwater tanks, waist-high early-summer green grasses, a huge woodpile at the beginning of cold weather, shelves of books (libraries make me swoon!), jars and jars of colourful preserves. 

Nothing says abundance more to me than a garden full-to-bursting with ripe fruit and vegies


For months we've been picking and eating fresh produce from the garden beds: fresh asparagus spears, leafy greens, broccoli, beetroot, baby broad beans and peas..... the good things just keep coming (I've just harvested the first of the garlic crop - and the chickens are now in full production, so our house is overflowing with eggs!). It's hard to beat the feeling you get when you serve a meal made from your own fresh garden produce (we had yummy kale frittata with fresh garden salad for last night's meal...... mmmm DELISH!)

One of the things that comes close to topping that feeling is giving gifts of goodies from my garden - now THAT is something I never get enough of!


mountains of kale in the garden
 hey have you ever tried kale chips? 
place kale leaves on baking tray, drizzle a little olive oil, bake in low- moderate oven until crisp, 
sprinkle with sea salt - devour --- they are fantastic and kale is sooooo good for you!



And talking of abundance and things we can't get enough of - this week a lovely gift arrived in the mail from Fiona - so I'll leave the last word to her...


 



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10 comments:

  1. You are so right Ronnie, abundance is a wonderful word and even better feeling. Fresh garlic .....yum! My neighbors brought round a bag of eggplant and zucchini yesterday, overflowing from their garden, got to love abundance. Enjoy!

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  2. Your abundance is that much more precious because you have worked for it!
    Beautiful truths Ronnie, and equally beautiful the products and your photos; thank you!

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  3. am usually quite happy with enough
    but
    won't say no to abundance!

    BTW those garlic skins should give some nice ecoprints...

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  4. Abundance is everywhere, we just need to open our eyes and not our wallets. Every time I walk outside here in the north I experience abundance. Thank you for reminding us.

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  5. It's a delicious word and conveys such a wonderful feeling. It is full of generosity and bounty and overflow and wonder. I love it too - thank you for reminding us. Am glad the goodie things arrived - fun to send them your way!

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  6. A little envy sneaking in, I'm afraid...your garlic abundance. I'm down to 2 bulbs of local and refuse to buy imports.
    Beautiful colours here, Ronnie; like a mediaeval tapestry.

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  7. love the hint about the kale, shall try that one
    your wet winters in the south make for a great growing time !

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  8. thanks for all your lovely comments - its moments like these that I am grateful for the internits allowing me to connect with great folk all over the globe.

    love the hint about the garlic skins india - thanks

    and I swear you ALL need to try out the kale chips - once you've tasted them you'll be hooked - soooooo much better than packets of chips - but you get that salty crispy hit. I'm addicted!

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  9. Love that wonderful looking garlic and Kale Ronnie!
    And the gift from Fiona too... what a delight to open that package.
    Something about the abundance that comes from the garden or farm...and nature... that is so life-giving and reassuring.
    If we had not forgotten the difference between need and want and could celebrate real abundance with more gratitude we might not be in this mess we're in.
    I guess its human nature to forget the essentials so thanks for reminding us here with your wonderful images and thoughts!

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thanks for all your lovely comments - your words are greatly appreciated xx