The Power of Flowers (very groovy)
Flowers. I’ve been buying a lot of flowers lately. Something about the newly brisk wind absolutely spanking my rosy cheeks has me yearning for summertime instantaneously.
Although I’m aware I can’t be outside 5 minutes before pitting my t-shirt with criminally uneven sweat stains; I long for a warm, sunny walk outside with my buddy King to admire our native greenery. Although I’m not particularly fond of where I grew up for the sake of rebellion (just kidding. Kind of.), I always find myself ever-so-slightly, dare I say, happy? Perhaps even joyful? by the presence of an abundant green lawn casually studded with those fresh, bright, stinky lil’ guys.
Nearly every time I’ve waltzed my way into Trader Joe’s over the past few months I’ve been resistant to leave without perusing the floral situation. I’ve become quite fond of my new ritual and increasingly familiar with my findings. I’m digging eucalyptus leaves. And chamomile flowers. Those spiky purple ones which are actually my favorite, but I can never remember the name of. I’m ‘branching out’ from the basic rose, tulip, lily. I’m elite, florally speaking. (In my own mind.)
I find that when my creative work becomes boring or stagnant to me, I need to test an obscure form of my creativity. It needs a different kind of exercise to measure how far it’s truly come, how potent and expansive it can be. Preferably using a medium I hadn’t experimented with in the past. Which is how I accidentally decided I wanted to create and stare at a beautiful flower arrangement.
That is of course until the day my glorious creation’s putrid stench had become reminiscent of a rotting rodent corpse, effectively permeating my kitchen. The bouquet had served its purpose, therefore, expired. Time to start over and try again.
My findings with observing this lifecycle brought me this conclusion; if you’re feeling stuck, keep going. Find something that excites you and embrace it, especially if it is only for a brief time. Chances are joy is in plain sight and has been all along. Enjoy things while they are bright, fresh, young, beautiful and alive. Then let them go when their time comes to be returned to the earth. Everything blossoms simultaneously as another decays.
Life is life, wherein death is also life. Allow yourself to be reborn vicariously through your surroundings. You will be surprised to see what blooms.
Don’t forget to buy a good pair of kitchen shears to trim the stems. I broke mine.
