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Jun. 11th, 2017 11:06 pmI had a magical experience on Friday. I went into Washington, DC, for a dental appointment in Georgetown. It was my birthday weekend, so I decided after lunch to go up to Dumbarton Oaks, a historic garden and museum. I love the garden and try to go a few times a year, but it's been a while since I was in Georgetown. I got there around 3:45 and wandered around for a bit before I came to part of the garden called the Ellipse. It's a huge circle of grass surrounded by benches and a double row of hornbeams, with a fountain in the middle.
I sat down on a bench to catch my breath, looked at the lush grass and thought, "Why don't I?" I promptly pulled off my sandals and walked onto the freshly trimmed grass. It felt so good underfoot, like a living carpet. I let my feet feel where they wanted to go, padding slowly in a circle for several minutes until I heard a group coming.
Then I put my shoes back on and retired to the North Vista, which drops in shallow levels to an ornamental rail. Again, my shoes came off and I walked the length of the vista slowly, watching for chipmunks (I saw my second one of the day there!) and just enjoying the different feel of the sun-warmed patches of grass and the shady ones. After that, I went back to the Ellipse and began walking it again, this time in company with another woman. We smiled and nodded, both of us moving in concert in our bare feet around the circle.
After a little while, we passed each other and she spoke to me, asking if I was meditating. I said I was, and she was too. We kept walking and smiling as we passed each other again, until another woman and her three young daughters came in. She asked, "Are you grounding?" and we both agreed that we were. She joined us with her youngest daughter and we all continued to walk together.
When they left, my impromptu meditation buddy and I kept walking for a while, enjoying the transition from sun to shade as the sun's angle shifted. When the garden came close to closing time, we both wound down our walk and got ready to leave, thanking each other for the experience. It was wonderful.
There's a photo below (not mine) of what it looks like.
I sat down on a bench to catch my breath, looked at the lush grass and thought, "Why don't I?" I promptly pulled off my sandals and walked onto the freshly trimmed grass. It felt so good underfoot, like a living carpet. I let my feet feel where they wanted to go, padding slowly in a circle for several minutes until I heard a group coming.
Then I put my shoes back on and retired to the North Vista, which drops in shallow levels to an ornamental rail. Again, my shoes came off and I walked the length of the vista slowly, watching for chipmunks (I saw my second one of the day there!) and just enjoying the different feel of the sun-warmed patches of grass and the shady ones. After that, I went back to the Ellipse and began walking it again, this time in company with another woman. We smiled and nodded, both of us moving in concert in our bare feet around the circle.
After a little while, we passed each other and she spoke to me, asking if I was meditating. I said I was, and she was too. We kept walking and smiling as we passed each other again, until another woman and her three young daughters came in. She asked, "Are you grounding?" and we both agreed that we were. She joined us with her youngest daughter and we all continued to walk together.
When they left, my impromptu meditation buddy and I kept walking for a while, enjoying the transition from sun to shade as the sun's angle shifted. When the garden came close to closing time, we both wound down our walk and got ready to leave, thanking each other for the experience. It was wonderful.
There's a photo below (not mine) of what it looks like.
