To Walk in Beauty Among Peonies Hózhǫ́ǫ́go naasháa doo “In beauty, I walk.” This Navajo prayer is more than words—it is a way of being. A promise to move through the world with the grace of swaying grasses, the balance of sunlight and shadow, and reverence for the quiet pulse of life unfolding. And then, spring comes. The peonies rise—first as tight fists punching through cold earth, then unfurling into explosions of opulent petals and scent. Their fragrance announces itself, like deep joyous laughter through an open window. In this moment, beauty is no longer abstract. You can taste it in the air, feel it in the buzz of bees drunk on pollen, see it in the way petals hold the light. In China, they call the peony “花王”—the King of Flowers. A symbol of prosperity, and of healing. Its roots steady the Liver’s restless Qi in Chinese Medicine, untangling what life knots. Yet the peony knows nothing of striving. It does not try to bloom; it simply follows the pact between earth and sky. To tend peonies is to learn wu wei—the art of effortless doing—to trust that growth happens not by force, but by surrender. Balance is rhythm—like stems bending in wind, then rising again, fluid as a breath. Beauty is medicine—for Liver’s fire, for the spirit grown weary, for eyes tired of winter’s barren branches. Healing is not always solemn—it can be joyous, extravagant, as unapologetic as a peony dripping petals onto the ground. Flowers do not apologize for their brief, glorious reign. Neither should we. So walk among them. Breathe deep. Let their perfume remind you: health is not just the absence of illness, but the presence of wonder. To be alive in spring is to remember how the world softens, how the earth sings back to the light—and how we, too, might rise without resistance, leaving space for the sacred in every unfolding. 花气袭人知昼暖 “The fragrance of flowers steals upon you, and you know the day is warm.” In beauty, we walk. In spring, we remember how. #naturehealsme #chinesemedicine #peonyseason #flowerpower #gooutside #springseason #healthishappiness #gardenspirit