The cosmos flowers in our garden have a lot to live up to, they inspire me to open up, and be a bigger man than the sum of my parts and experiences. My life (and death) is small and insignificant when stacked up against the cosmos, or the idea of the cosmos. Our cosmos flowers, in favor at the moment, open themselves up and reach out to the sky. I do wonder what they are receiving, arms open like that.

Cosmos is one of those words we hear, but rarely think about. The cosmos is the sum total of everything, it extends far beyond our universe, or the galaxies we are aware of.

Cosmos is originally a Greek word meaning both “order” and the “world.” The ancient Greeks thought the world was perfectly harmonious and in perfect order. We know better now.

Today, the word cosmos means “all of Creation,” or “everything that exists everywhere.” I find this idea humbling, because it reminds me that I am a microscopic dot, if that, in the great schema. Mostly, the term is used in sci-fi movies and TV shows, the cosmos encompasses the starts, the planets, the black holes, the other universes, and everything we can’t imagine or see or don’t know about. That means all of infinity (it is also the name of pretty Mexican herb.)

Mostly I go through my life thinking of now,  of the insignificant details of my life, as most people do. I don’t think much about death the great mysteries ahead of me, and I rarely think of the idea that the universe is infinite, it simply expands beyond our ability to conceive of it or even imagine it.

Here on earth, with our wars and petty arguments and greed, we tend to think only of ourselves and of our laments and needs. When i think of the cosmos, then these become my favorite flower because they inspire me to expand my consciousness and creativity. And to remember that I am small and not important, my life is good, but whatever troubles I have are very small. I’m going to suggest a cosmos garden for next year, Maria will love it.