Second Chances

I met Ragu at Kertiyasa, the bungalow villa where I stayed for a month in Bali. It is an enchanting place. The lush greenery envelopes the ground and the mating turtle doves' cooing invite love and wonder across the paths.

The steps at Kertiyasa

     Ragu seems to be a manager of sorts, although he works on the lawn, greets customers, helps hack down coconuts and has a plethora of information. There is no hierarchy apparent to my eye, but a cooperation that supersedes roles. Each worker is graceful, happy, tender and eager to assist at every request.
    This particular exchange with Ragu that has lingered and made a mark on my heart, happened early one morning. I noticed from a distance that Ragu was crouched low to the ground and picking up dead flowers that had fallen from the bushes and the trees. Bright yellow and red ones were scattered on the grass. He carried them softly in his hands and began to place them at the inner cracks of the steps where they would not be trampled. He saw us coming and stood quickly to greet us.
"That is beautiful." I said.
 "I give the flowers a second chance," he beamed as he spoke.
  Something inside me awakened and flashing before me were all the dried and wrinkly petunias that I had "dead-headed" as we called it. Daily I would snip the old flowers and pitch them. Yet, here he was making something one might consider useless, or event past its prime - a thing of beauty. Every step was a majestic welcome.

Ragu cutting coconuts for us

  I was struck with wondering just how many times I dismiss people and things as "no longer being useful."  His very action was giving new purpose to the flower. It jolted me a bit as I thought about second chances. Too often when people have wounded me or screwed up, it has been easy to write them off as unnecessary and trouble in my life.  I felt both shame and wonder.
   I like second chances. I am a person who doesn't easily get it right the first time. I think second chances are about forgiveness, but even more so - about raising one to a greater beauty. It's such a slight paradigm shift, but oh so powerful. Too often I judge people's value by what they do or what they have been. I am often blind to the potential of growth, love and possibility when I am stunted by seeing people as they were, not as they can be.
Over and again, my time here in Bali teaches me that beauty is reborn whenever I open my eyes to see it. Thank you Ragu for teaching me about second chances!

Our morning walk