A prayer for the failing

After a really disheartening morning (begun, as usual, with the best of intentions), I went to lunch, then settled in for a nap. Waking refreshed, I decided to try my new watercolor kit, using it to create some sort of homage to the tree I lost yesterday.
As I've mentioned before, watercolor's never really worked for me, but I do appreciate the simplicity of this attempt: it's certainly more appealing than the hideous (and now re-gessoed) creations of the morning.

And I'm pleased to be giving myself permission to fail. This morning, as part of my daughter's scripted meditation practice, I was supposed to write down 5 personality traits that get in the way of achieving my goals (I found 6). Perfectionism -- and the fear of failure -- definitely gets in the way of exploration. So kudos to me for risking that today -- and kudos to all the scientists desperately seeking a cure for CoVid-19. They, too, must be risking failure, on a daily basis, and yet they soldier on for the good of humanity, even as the nurses and doctors soldier on, trying to save what patients they can as the death toll continues to mount.

My loss -- of the tree -- and my failures are very small in comparison, but I feel them, and if we listen to those feelings, it makes it easier to comprehend and appreciate the labors of others who are fighting far greater odds. So I think of today's efforts as a prayer: a prayer that they may continue their work, surrounded by a cloud of love and motivation and gratitude.

... and to save you the trouble of reading the words scribbled on the side of that third effort, here they are:

     And to the tree, lying fallen
     upon the ground, I give my heart
     and sing a song of gratitude
     for all the years she gave the fruit
     I wasn't there to see and now regret.