I love flowers.
I love to have fresh flowers in our home.
when I can't justify buying them I pick them discreetly
from places where they wont be missed;
from fields of weeds, back alley ways,
plants overhanging walkways or even my own yard.
advantages of picking flowers:
disadvantages of picking flowers:
if you don't get them home soon enough
and straight into water they can suffer dehydrationi
if you put them in the saddle bag of your bike they may come out a little bruised
flowers last for a shorter time in a vase
than if they had been left growing where they were...
which led me to thinking about why I pick flowers.
is it really just to make the house look pretty?
well I certainly think that's an aspect, but could there be another lesson here?
I wonder if it is connected to that same feeling I have
when I see (for example) a cute tea cup and want to buy it and bring it home.
sometimes (frequently) it doesn't seem to be enough to appreciate
something beautiful in someone elses home,
in a cafe, in a shop window.
I already have enough tea cups,
especially since I can only ever drink from one at a time,
and yet, I want to buy that pretty teacup.
I think this is coveting.
and I know for certain that coveting is not good,
so I find myself in a bit of a pickle.
we came here with little more than clothes
and I am afraid to admit that our little house is starting to burst at the seams
already with stuff.
I seem to have fallen back into the trap
that seems so normal.
advantages of appreciating flowers where they grow:
they last longer
more people can see and appreciate them
a good excuse to go for a walk
now perhaps flowers aren't the best example of consumerism
but I hope you might be learning something reading this as I did writing it.
as flowers in vases never last too long,
thankfully they will never overtake my house and fill it up,
(though how glorious to be over-run with flowers!).
when they die I recycle them straight back into the compost
and then ponder where I can find more...
my natural inclination towards seeing,
coveting and aquiring though
is something I am aware of and want to work against.
how can I surround myself with pretty things
but still exercise restraint
when it comes to aquiring, consuming, hoarding things?
what practical things can I do to appreciate beauty
without desiring or feeling the need to own it for myself?
how can I learn be content with what I already have?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
kindly,
the flower fairy,
sharolyn