“Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden & decorate your own soul” ~ Mario Quintana
I’ve never come across this quote before but it struck a definite chord when I found it this week. To me, on first reading, it feels like there’s something almost blunt about its exhortation to be independent about meeting your own needs rather than relying on someone else to take care of you.
Having someone bring you flowers is often portrayed as a romantic, heartfelt gesture; and indeed in the early parts of any relationship that is often the case. Think of valentines day for example.
Yet in current times it’s often become something of a parody as we joke when our partner brings us flowers, wondering what they’ve done that they are feeling the need to use flowers as an apology. How times and relationships change.
What was your own first thought on reading this quote? Did it resonate with you, literally or figuratively? What does it mean to you to think about planting your own garden to decorate your own soul? Do flowers give you that kind of uplift?
I love to see them in the wild and I can appreciate the beauty of a bouquet but seeing the cut flowers die in the vase always makes me feel terribly sad and yet the blooms don’t last in the wild do they? Blossoms and flowers only have a finite time wherever they are, so why should seeing them wilt in the vase make me any more sad than seeing them wilt in the wild? Perhaps something worth exploring a little more there.
If this has struck a chord with you and you would like to explore it a little more with a chaplain, as always you can find them on Mondays and Wednesdays in the outdoor areas near the duck pond and the woodshed weather permitting. In the meantime, on the rainy days, or if you don’t manage to catch up with a chaplain outside you can contact us via email on info@mitechaplaincy.com where you can request a call-back, or you are very welcome to call me directly on my mobile: 07526 378529 either to chat or to arrange a time to meet.
We also have a range of resources on our web-site including some that are more specific to the Covid-19 outbreak and some that generally help in dealing with stress: https://mite.org.uk
If you prefer you can easily keep in touch with us on social media: Facebook: @mitechaplaincy Twitter: @mitesthwarr
Image by Daisy Briones on unsplash.com