Tag: flower

On Being Anonymous

So, this happened: I got off work very late the other night. The city was relatively quiet. And there was a flower stuck in the door handle of my car.

I stopped. I looked around. No one was in sight.

I tried to let my better angel speak to me. I really did. I really, really did.

Maybe it was from my boyfriend. Awwww, how sweet! I do love flowers. But it was a single red carnation that was mostly wilted. That doesn’t sound like his style. (And sure enough, the next morning when I talked to him, he confirmed that it wasn’t from him.)

Or maybe it was from someone who likes bridgetenders. Or drawbridges. Or just some random person attempting to brighten someone’s day. Or maybe he or she saw the bumper sticker for this blog on my car, and is a fan. Well, that’s nice.

But the devil on my other shoulder insisted on weighing in, too. “Stalker,” she whispered. Or some crazy person obsessed with me. Someone trying to freak me out by invading my space. “See how close I can get to your car? And you’re alone at night…”

And why the anonymity, huh? What have you got to hide, bearer of wilted flowers? Who are you?

For future reference, that secret admirer thing? That becomes creepy after about the second grade. Reveal yourself relatively quickly (like, within an hour), or don’t do something like that. A simple note, stating your intentions such as, “I had this flower and felt like making someone smile.” That would suffice. Otherwise, even if you mean well, it becomes a power play and a mind f***. It’s not kind. At best, it’s disturbing. At worst, it’s aggressive.

Just sayin’.

Carnation

A big thanks to StoryCorps for inspiring this blog and my first book. http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5

Nature Doesn’t Clash

I have a friend who is an artist, and when choosing his color palette for any given creation, he looks to nature for inspiration. He’ll take a leaf or a flower petal, for example, and put it under a microscope, and then use the colors he sees there. I think that’s a brilliant idea.

If you want the ultimate arbiter of good taste, nature is it. First of all, it’s been around a heck of a lot longer than we have. It knows how to play the game. It doesn’t like short-term trends. I can’t think of even one example of a natural thing that irritates my sensibilities. I definitely can’t say that about humans on an average day. (Nature wouldn’t be caught dead in sandals with knee socks.)

Nature also doesn’t wage war, shut down the government for selfish reasons, or pollute itself in the name of greed. It sees no need for firearms. If anyone were to support health care for all, it would be nature.

While nature can seem arbitrarily cruel, it definitely looks at the big picture and the long term. These are qualities that modern man seems to lack, to our everlasting peril. The more we ignore nature’s warnings, the more we will suffer. Nature is patient. Nature will win. The question is, will we be around to see it?

Painted Hills Oregon
Painted Hills, Oregon

Read any good books lately? Try mine! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5

Well, I Never!

I overheard someone say that the other day. I’ve probably heard it a thousand times in my life without really giving it much thought. But the fact is, never is a very long time.

You never… what exactly?

…heard anything so outrageous? Poppycock. We are living in an increasingly outrageous world. You may have blocked out the outrageous things you’ve heard in the past, but trust me, you’ve heard them, unless you were born in a bubble.

…have been so disappointed? Well, if that’s true, then you are luckier than the average person. People can and will let you down. Some people actually make a sport out of it.

…have been so insulted? Where have you been hiding, amongst the Stepford Wives? Life is messy and people can be rude.

I hate the phrase, “Well, I never!” because to me it seems like a get out of jail free card of sorts. It’s a way of expressing outrage without having to explain yourself. It’s like passing judgment without having to write the accompanying opinion. And worse yet, in my view, it’s a way to make you seem like a delicate flower, when, in fact, we’re all weeds.

There’s no shame in being a weed. Weeds have staying power. They persevere. They carry on. And they don’t wear their hearts on their weedy little sleeves.

Next time someone says, “Well, I never!” I’m going to respond, “Well, perhaps you should.”

 

Well I never

Read any good books lately? Try mine! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5

A Single Flower

It had been raining for several days, and that wasn’t helping my already gloomy outlook. I can’t seem to shake off the fear and uncertainty that the most recent election has brought down upon the shoulders of many of us. It almost feels like I woke up on a different planet. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone?

I was looking out at the grey sky and the mud and muck and thinking those thoughts, when a flash of color caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, it was a single bloom on my extremely neglected azalea bush. (Hey, gimme a break. I’m a renter.)

Please understand. It’s November. It’s Seattle. We’ve gone weeks without seeing the sun. It’s been warmer than usual, yes, but it’s still cold at night. And yet here was this flower.

I must admit it was kind of a sad little flower. Lonely. Smaller than usual. A few petals were chewed on by bugs. But it persevered. A flash of fuchsia in an otherwise bleak landscape.

And I thought, if something like that can blossom in a place and time where, by all accounts, it should not thrive, then why can’t I? Maybe, just like that flower, I can break all the current rules, go against the flow, and add some contrast to a world that is becoming increasingly, drearily, monochrome.

It won’t be easy. I’ll probably feel a bit bedraggled with all the extra effort. But I’ll be here. So will you. And that makes me feel much better.

img_2089
All alone and a bit chewed up, but she’s still here!

Like this blog? Then you’ll LOVE this book! http://amzn.to/2cCHgUu