Abundance

"Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance."

~ Epicurus

My son Miles and I spent a December morning picking tangerines alongside an army of volunteers from Backyard Bounty. Backyard Bounty is a program out of the Food Bank in which fruit or other produce that would otherwise go to waste is harvested and distributed through the food bank, giving low income families a source of locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables. To give you an idea of how valuable this program is, Miles and I and the other volunteers picked 9,000 pounds of tangerines that Saturday. One mature tree can produce well over a hundred pounds of fruit. Just one tree.

I don't have a fruit tree in my yard unfortunately, but I do have lots of other things that yield an abundance of good, healthy fruit in my life. Sometimes I forget that. Yesterday, when I overdrew my checking account, I almost forgot that. For a few minutes I went into scarcity mode and panicked about not having enough. Then I remembered all the people I have in my corner, and how resourceful I can be, and I knew I would be ok. And when I went to my evening job, there was a paycheck waiting for me. As my friend Chuck said, the cavalry arrived.

I spent more money than I probably should have this Christmas season, mostly on the kids. I just sort of forgot that I have less income these days and that the kids would be getting gifts from their dad too. I've always done all the Christmas shopping for the family, so I just sort of did what I always do. And you know what? It was ok. I was not terribly extravagant. I love everyone I bought gifts for and it felt good to give. Giving showed me how much I HAVE. I have an abundance of loving family, fantastic friends, wonderful kids, a man who loves me, a great dog, good work with lovely people, a religious community that inspires me, a beautiful place to live, and more. And more. And more. I have an abundance of everything that matters. I want to start the new year with that knowledge emblazoned on my consciousness.

It's so easy for me to get caught up in what I don't have. I'm good at beating myself up for my faults, focusing on the places I fall short instead of my strengths. And I can be as petty and self pitying as the next guy. But when I remember to look (and I'm getting better at this) I see that I have enough. I have an abundance of what's important, and enough love and support to help me with what I really do need. In fact, I have a veritable orchard of fruit bearing trees in my life. And let me tell you, they produce the sweetest harvest you can imagine.

May 2014 be a bountiful year for all of us.