Planting Flowers

I recently came across these wise words on a FB post:

"Why so optimistic about 2017?  What do you think it will bring?

I think it will bring flowers.

Yes?  How come?

Because I am planting flowers."

With a contented sigh I stretched out my legs on the bus seat where I sat.  I glanced over to the two girlfriends I was traveling with, exchanged quiet smiles, and let my attention wander out of a window to the Texas countryside.  Fields of wildflowers covered the ground like a vividly colored blanket.  I remembered it was a project started by Lady Bird Johnson who simply wanted to make her part of the world a bit more beautiful.

It was April 2016, and I was taking a much needed vacation.  Life had been challenging for the past year or two.  My husband, Jim, had been ill.  Our lives were changing dramatically, and those changes were difficult.   Much of the time I was feeling overwhelmed and worried.

Jim owned a deli and catering business.  Unfortunately his illness caused frequent trips to the hospital.  That left me to run the business as well as care for him.  I did not step out of my comfort zone as much as I was pulled out of it kicking and screaming.

 The deli was always a bit quieter when Jim wasn't there.  He was the heart of the place, and everyone was a bit subdued when we were without that heart.  Those who felt his absence included the homeless men that Jim welcomed into the deli during the day.  They whiled away the hours there watching television, reading the newspaper, and sometimes even sleeping.  I am not proud to say that Jim's heart was bigger than mine.  While I noticed the ways they seemed to take advantage of him, Jim respected them as fellow human beings.  That is until one day when a simple act caused my heart to open.

Jim was in the hospital, and I was whisking through the deli with my thoughts bouncing from one thing I needed to do to the next.  Suddenly I noticed one of the homeless men sitting at a table and bent over an open sketch book.  Curiously I walked over to him and asked to see what he was doing.  Together we leafed through the pages of his sketchbook.  The depth of his talent astounded me.  As we reached the final drawing I started to walk away.  A thought occurred to me, and I turned back to him.  With the two of us sitting side by side i touched his arm and quietly asked him for a favor.  As he understood my request his eyes began to shine.  With a smile and a nod he agreed to do as I asked.

A week later he approached me with an anxious smile and his sketchbook tucked safely in his arms.  His hands shook a bit as he opened it to a beautiful sketch of the deli's storefront.  The deli was going to be sold within a month or so.  The drawing was a gift to Jim.  I knew it would be something he would cherish not only because it was a beautiful depiction of a major part of his life but also because the artist was someone he cared about. It was the perfect gift for each of them.  Jim loved the drawing, and it hangs in a place of honor in our home.  The artist not only received monetary payment but also gained back his pride and self-worth.  Yes, it was the perfect gift.

Here's the thing.  It almost didn't happen.  I was so overcome with fear that I almost missed an opportunity to open my heart.  I was so wrapped up in my little world of worry that I had all but closed myself off to the people around me.  Change is said to be difficult for us, and everything around me seemed to be changing.

Once again our world is changing.  Many of us are unsure about the future, and that scares us.  Our fear can lead to our closing our hearts and isolating ourselves.  Our world of worry can cause more damage and pain than any one person or group of people can cause.

I realize that I need to step put of my world of worry.  I am going to consciously look for the beauty that surrounds me.  I'm going to take time to smell the flowers.  I am also going to plant some flowers, well at least figuratively.  Mine will be simple acts of kindness.  I'll smile and say hello to you.   I'll open doors for you and pick up what you drop.  I'll let you squeeze into line ahead of me and ask God to bless you when you sneeze.  Most of all I will see you and recognize your worth as a fellow human being.  I'm going to imitate Lady Bird and make my own part of the world a bit more beautiful.