We experience a long dry season here in this part of California. This summer we started a practice in the kitchen that just felt so good to do. We set up a series of five gallon buckets along the stone wall behind the back porch of the kitchen, and we began collecting all the water that we used in the kitchen throughout the day. Whenever we’d finish with the dish water or the water from washing produce, we’d carry it out back and pour it into the buckets. Then we’d transport this water to give a drink to whatever plants were most in need. It’s amazing how much water can be collected on a busy day of retreat cooking. Some days required quite a few trips emptying buckets, but it always felt so worthwhile.
Today, as rain poured onto the Monastery grounds, the empty buckets got stacked on the porch to prevent them from blowing away in the weather. It looks like our rainy season has begun, and it’s easy to project that the plant-life all around is soaking it up joyfully. For me, participating in months of daily collecting and transporting of water to these plants has allowed me to feel more connected, more concerned and grateful.
Gasshō,
Amy