Flowering

Katie loved flowers.  I did not anticipate this revelation when I was twenty.  Nor did I expect Katherine to hike the AT, Corinne to follow the Weather Channel, Meagan to work out at 5AM, or Jennifer to marry a “car guy”.  These things just were not in the cards.   Nor did I ever anticipate that we, or our spouses, would take an interest in things like birdwatching out the kitchen window.  Nevertheless, here we are.   

Katie loved flowers. And she was great at taking care of her gardens. I am envious as I have never, and probably will never, have a green thumb.  I want all the beauty of blossoms and none of the work.  Is that too much to ask?  Why can’t beautiful blooming flowers grow as easily as weeds? In fact, as soon as I get though weeding the front flower beds from one end to the other, weeds are growing right back where I began. 

The very first Hanson song that launched them (my favorite band) to fame in 1997, was Mmmbop. The tune is as light and catchy as one can imagine a summer pop song to be.  But the lyrics are quite serious:

You have so many relationships in this life
Only one or two will last
You go through all the pain and strife
Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast

Oh, so hold on the ones who really care
In the end they'll be the only ones there
And when you get old and start losing your hair
Can you tell me who will still care?

Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose
You can plant any one of those
Keep planting to find out which one grows
It's a secret no one knows

So, I guess I’ll keep plugging away at these weeds.  And when I do, I’ll think of Katie and how she liked feeling the soil under her nails.  And how she made her little corner of the world beautiful. Maybe next spring I’ll plant a seed and see how it grows.  Then maybe I’ll be the one at forty doing things no one ever expected.