Tending to the Sacred of Everyday Life by Lexie Wolf

This past weekend was really satisfying as Bill and I tended to our home, gardens, relationship, and family. The concept of "tending" lingered in my thoughts throughout, pondering what it means to nurture rather than build or simply maintain.

"Tending" embodies care and attention that feels more loving than obligatory. It suggests an interdependence, a nurturing relationship with life's cycles. Tending is the active participation that supports a meaningful life.

We started with a bit of spring cleaning and clearing, reframing it as a spiritual act. A ritual of clearing away what no longer serves us, cherishing our shared space. Cleaning definitely became less a chore and more a sacred, shared practice. Reframing is magic, y’all.

On Sunday, tending to family: helping my very self-sufficient 25-year old move homes. It’s not a big revelation that tending to our relationships is the most important thing in life. Family, chosen family, friends – whatever relationships we’ve chosen to prioritize. But I can forget this simple truth when life gets busy or stressful. I’m grateful for the opportunity to tend to my child who doesn’t invite a lot of tending anymore.

Later, under the late afternoon sun, tending to my houseplants brought a quiet joy. Plants, always smiling up at us, invite us to see them as sacred beings. "Tending" aligns effortlessly with the gently animate presence of plants. 

What turns chores into "sacred tending"?

Time and presence, for one. Mindful slowing down and being fully present transform tasks from burdens into meaningful acts. Time can feel like a luxury, but presence is a superpower we all have.

Scale. Sometimes these complicated lives and everyone and everything in them can feel like a burden. When I feel overwhelmed by the “too much-ness,” grace, gratitude and reverence are hard to maintain. 10 houseplants to tend, fun. 25, burdensome. At least for me. I’ve noticed with admiration that some people have great capacity for managing scale with ease.

Intention. The power of the reframe. Moving as relationship tending rather than carrying heavy boxes. Choosing to see beyond the task's surface to its deeper significance reframes our actions. Recognizing life's people, things, and situations as sacred gifts transforms our care into gratitude and reverence.

It always comes back to gratitude. Isn’t gratitude the not-so-secret sauce for a good life?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear community.