My children brought me these beautiful flowers this morning when I really needed a lift. I was trying to finish a giant writing project on a deadline (a grant proposal) and I was feeling stressed and exhausted when they came bounding in with a great sampling of every single thing blooming in the front yard from tiny to large.
I love how young children pick flowers — they go right for the bloom and pull off the very top. They have zero interest in the things that stress out flower farmers like getting the right stem length. And once they pick a blossom, they kind of shove them into their palms so they can grab another. They arrive a little rumpled and without stems but they are still a joy to arrange and look at.
I sometimes think about all the sweet lovely flowers that are overlooked and unknown because they do not fit into the floral industry — which always seems to be a bit more obsessed with stem length, size and vase life than beauty. So the tiny flowers don’t get much attention — except when the young children burst on the scene. They have their eyes on the prize — its about the pretty flowers and that is all — and with that focus they find so many of them. One of these flowers, the “pink” is actually what the flower breeders created carnations from — making them bigger and far fussier (and in my opinion a lot less lovely).
Today, at around my one month anniversary of starting to sell lots of flowers to a big commercial flower wholesaler, I am happy my children brought me this tiny rumpled bouquet ….which for this mama is prettier than anything in the entire commercial flower warehouse!
By the way, below is another toddler flower image — it is my 2 year old’s honest interpretation of my instruction, “please put the flower back in the vase.” Again, by the way the stem was tossed aside since it is so not the point.
Shabbat Shalom and/or have a peaceful weekend.
