carpe diem—it’s not to “seize” the day, but rather to “pluck” the day. If we return to the image of our days as fecund gardens, then in order to pluck the day, we first need to survey what is blossoming, what is ripe, what is ready to harvest. This looks different from day to day and season to season. We do not wish to dig it all up in a frenzy, but we should be careful in our selection, gently tending to a moment, careful not to crush or damage its stem or bruise the fruits of the day. In each day, even days like these, there is something for us to pick, something we can pop in a vase on the
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