This snowstorm brought forth a lot of emotion for me. Nothing intense, just this very simple metaphor laced with layers of emotion.
It has been so warm lately, and it seems that in some places the flowers are blooming with such bountiful energy, and yet in others they seem to be waiting. The lilacs at my studio are nearly past their first bloom, and the ones at my home haven’t even begun to bud. We have seen such strange weather, a dry and arid winter full of terrifying gusts of wind, and then this heavy and moisture-laden snow in late May. Does it remind you of anything?
For me, I look at what the weather has brought this year: a hint of danger, a yearning for the relief of rain, and the weight of a late snow. And it seems like the plants are all dealing with it so differently, in such an individuated manner. And I look at what the last couple of years have brought us as humans, and I can’t help but see the resemblance. We have been through great tests over the last two plus years. We have seen a global pandemic, people on many sides of any political or social issue are baffled by the other perspectives and it has been so difficult to bridge those gaps. And in the turmoil, there is this strange bouncing ebbing and flowing, sometimes erupting energy, bubbling up in unknown locations.
And so I choose to take a lesson from the flowers. We are all individuals, and yet we are all connected. The same storms come for us all, and yet our responses vary greatly. And through it all, the flowers persist. And through all of this, all the threats to our autonomy, I know we will persist as well. Together and also individually, we will persist.
I love you all, and I hope you are filled with floral energy today. Happy Sunday, and may it be sun-soaked.