Poppy Perspective

Weird weather has been nature’s mantra over the last several months. Last week we had a stretch of rain and gray clouds that seemed to go on and on. It is always a bit sad when inclement weather collides with blooming trees and flowers, shortening the colorful blossom life. This is just what happen over the weekend. 

Bright orange poppies began to bloom Day One of what would become 4-days of gray. I don’t have many planted, but the ones I do have are bold and beautiful, lighting up the front garden with their brilliance. Amidst the rain, one bloom opened, and then another and another. I watched them every rainy morning and visited them during each afternoon drizzle to speak an encouraging word. Battered down by the weight of the raindrops, they would slowly straighten during a break. They held on for a few days – longer than anticipated. Finally by Day Four the fiery orange petals, still as bright as ever, lay flat against the seed pods after the final downpour. As the sun came out and dried the petals, they began to drop… 

one 

by 

one. 

My usual response to an early loss of blooms is disappointment followed by a comment of disgust. This time I decided to try something new. Taking a deep breath I considered this: “Is there a new perspective I can take here? One of which I have not been previously aware?”  It immediately dawned on me that for four days the sky had been dreary gray and yet, the poppies in their brilliant resistance had cheered my heart. I had enjoyed them in the morning and in the evening each day. I had watched them blossom, wrestle valiantly with the elements and eventually succumb to the same. Instead of lamenting the loss of the blooms, with a shift of perspective, I changed my experience to gratitude, awe and joy. The poppies lifted my spirits, and with this realization, they had done so again. 

The poppies taught me to look for the light regardless of how dark the sky may be. And so it is. This week, regardless of the dark skies we experience, look for the patch of light.

Breathe it in.

Light and love,

Andrea