Touch the Flowers.

The other day I was outside tending to my garden. This year I wasn’t able to get what I wanted to done because of the weather. Hard to do anything when your overheated in less then 10 minutes. Also I had wanted to sit outside and simply enjoy more this year – instead I think I did this less. Seemed like the only time I had to be outside I felt I needed to do something – like weeding. However I realized I can take the time to enjoy being outdoors while doing other things. I do not have good eyesight. While I correct to well enough to drive, I don’t think my brain uses my eyes much anyway – I have to concentrate to be perceptive and aware of my surroundings- it doesn’t just happen. However, I have noticed my other senses tend to be above average overall compared to the people around me. Not near as much as someone totally blind would be, but enhanced. This includes my sense of touch to a degree and I find I like touching things - like flower petals. This is why I don’t like artificial flowers. I love the silkily smooth cool feel of flowers. I have to restrain myself sometimes from reaching out and touching things in public – though I still sometimes do – like flowers while shopping for plants. So while weeding I do this. I admire the colors and how the flowers are layer out. I reach out and caress the moss rose flowers and watch for a bit as a pollen laden bumble bee makes its rounds of the snapdragons. Snaps have been one of my favorite flowers forever simply because I like to “snap” them. open and close the petals. And thus – I like watching the bees doing the same thing. Landing on the lower two petals and causing the flower to gap enough to work their way inside- sometimes all the way – looking very much like the flower ate the bee. It has occurred to me before to wonder how many people pay attention to small beautiful things like this. I am in Colorado and I drive west to work every day – facing the mountains. And I wonder sometimes how many drivers pay attention to the beauty spread out in front of them each day. Now of course I don’t stare at the mountains to the point where I’m not paying attention to traffic, but there are times I round a corner and the view is just - breathtaking. Not everyday of course – but often. And at lights and depending on traffic flow – I can easily appreciate the beauty. Maybe this is what the saying “stop and smell the flowers” means. Just take some time – no matter how busy you are – to pause and appreciate life, to observe the beauty around us and in others, to stop and smell the flowers – or touch them.