The Flower Lady
They, too, had not quite bloomed, and the promise of what they would become was a highlight...
“I know you. You are the flower lady,” the cashier at Publix said to me this morning as she scanned my ingredients for chicken noodle soup and my usual assortment of lilies.
It’s an obsession, I am not going to lie. Flowers, not soup.
I love the ones that are just slightly open. You see their potential, but you aren’t quite sure what the full bloom will display.
“I guess it could be worse. I could be the beer lady or the wine lady,” I joked as she shared with me that she remembers small details about her customers. I let her know that is a great trait and a nice touch in a world full of automation and conversationless encounters.
I shared with her that now I work from home a few days a week, I love to be surrounded by amazing things. It’s especially nice when those amazing things are a tad bit unpredictable and full of potential.
In my previous career, I was surrounded by teenagers. They, too, had not quite bloomed, and the promise of what they would become was a highlight of my job. Now, as a pre-med advisor, I feel much the same. The excitement of what-could-be emanates from the undergrads I advise.
Her comment made me reflect on why it is that I enjoy my weekly flowers. Aside from being the best deal going– three bundles for $12–I love what they represent.
Chance. Opportunity. Beauty.
In the grand scheme of things, I wear a lot of hats, but this new identity- the flower lady– is quite nice. It’s a reminder that we can always reinvent ourselves. Sometimes, we get so locked in our roles that we forget that our identities are malleable to some degree. However, much like the start of a school year, the New Year brings with it an opportunity to shed the old and embrace the new.
Forget resolutions, I’ll take three bundles of lilies.
