The Great Mandala

I visited the Arboretum's lily pond just after a heavy rain had moved through the area, drenching our world. There were raindrops on everything. Every lily in the lily pond was wearing them like jewels.

There is one lily that is not like the others. It sits flat on the surface, living in lavender splendor at the borders between the worlds of air and water.

I looked closer at the lily and I suddenly realized that it seemed like a mandala of sorts: its geometric form a tiny microcosm of the Universe; everything in balance, everything orderly; everything imperfectly, perfectly beautiful . . .

The soundtrack: Peter Yarrow and Richie Havens, The Great Mandala.