If we should ever need to be reminded of how quickly time passes… look no further than a garden. What a difference a day makes there! One day a bud… the next… a flower.
It’s rapid. And unforgiving. Ants already encircle the delicate blooms.
So… without thought for the future or what might be… I resolve to simply enjoy the blossoms now. Today. As though tomorrow does not exist. I breathe the scent that evokes the memories of childhood… passionfruit and jasmine… and of places real and imagined. I close my eyes. I am a child again. Long ago and very far away… the fragrance of another time. Scattered frangipani blossoms upon the grass… and deep reflections in the dark still water. Tranquility. I open my eyes to admire the flush of youth and innocent optimism in the plump freshness of the blooms. So much hope and promise there!
And tomorrow… as the weight of morning dewdrop and gravity… and the passing of time weighs heavily on them… I will remember today. Then happily move on. And over the days to come… I will stop to appreciate the rich deep fragrance that only develops with age. And the potential for joy that each moment of life can hold.
If only we might grasp it.
Youth is wasted on the young…(smiles)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I was just reflecting about how fast everything can change, so your post is very timely. I love it when I remember to live in the moment… Feels so abundant and better. The trick for me is to remember to do it-often when things are grim I do, but it’s so much better to remember when things are delicious! Those flowers are simply gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them.
I check for a new post daily, Jean, so it’s always a joy when my obseessiveness is rewarded. Alas, I have a brown thumb. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, flowers and plants die under my stewardship. If there’s a danger of overwatering, I overwater. If there’s a danger of not watering enough, well, you get the picture. It’s especially painful since I’m unbelievably anthropomorphic. I even kissed my car on return from both my cross-America drives. So I grieve when my plants croak. Just look at the plants in your exquisite photos, Jean, and it’s hard to conclude that they don’t have consciousness and souls. Thank-you.
Hi Joh! We must be the only climate on the planet where winter is heralded in by a plethora of beautiful flowering plants! Bouganvillea is spectacular thoughout our comparatively dry winter… (and you can see hat the orchids have done) in fact I think it’s the relative dryness that freaks the plant out and makes it flower!
A paradox really. And another metaphor for life too… when we’re all cruising and comfortable there’s no need to shine… but when the chips are down and supply dries up we’ve got to do what we have to to survive. In this case the plant puts it’s energy into flowering. I guess we might take a “leaf” from that book and do the same? Musing in top gear here! (((laughs)))
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi John! Oh I do feel guilty as I can’t take credit for these gorgeous things when I know they do it all by themselves! All I did was lash them onto palm trunks a dozen or more years ago and then left them to it. Selfish of me really. It was survival of the fittest from the start… but they’ve rewarded me over and over ever since! I find neglect works a treat… but the right climate helps immeasureably! LOL
Anthropomorphic? I had to go look it up… but YES… me too! I never recognised how obsessively sentimental I was until my son’s pet fish all croaked one by one over the space of a year… each one carving an even larger hole in my heart! Who would have thought I’d get hooked on a fish… but there you have it. Eyes would well up at the memory of each little face. (I even sketched one of them – Runt – he was my favourite) and insisted on a decent burial… out in the garden under a cross made of toothpicks! The kids thought I was nuts of course… but I think in a nice way… (well… I hope anyway) grin.
I enjoy the garden. It’s full moon tonight… and I was thinking of hauling a chair out onto the grass to admire the stars. I’ll be watching out for snakes tho…in the tropics there’s always something… LOL
Hi, Jean! Coincidentally, I just saw a movie with my grandson last night–Kung Fu Panda–that reminded me that “yesterday is history; tomorrow is mystery; today is a gift” and that there is no secret ingredient to life or happiness. We are best when we focus on this day. Then here comes Jean with those photos of such wonderful pieces of God’s handiwork to be enjoyed for today. Thanks!
Those flowers are absolutely beautiful!
P.S. On starry evenings out, we watch out for poisonous snakes here also–rattlesnakes, coral snakes, water moccasins and copperheads–but the flowers are still beautiful. :^)
Hi Vernita
Haven’t seen Kung Fu Panda but did see an interview with Dustin Hoffman who did one of the voiceovers. Interesting guy… relatively down to earth (which is always so surprising!)
The stars were out and brilliant. And the moon finally rose above low cloud along the horizon just in time to enjoy. Being the shortest day of the year here (winter solstice) made it all the more mysterious and memorable! LOL