Friday, February 12, 2010

Pink Roses or Undies?

"Flowers really do intoxicate me." ~Vita Sackville-West

When money is tight, which is too often the case, tough decisions must be made. Like any red-blooded lady I love lingerie…pretty, lacy, satiny or utilitarian white cotton, when what lies beneath is new I’m giddy. Sure, I love the sweet confections Victoria Secret displays. Nothing says girlie like sheer pastel panties edged in frothy lace. Who doesn’t want a matching bra with just a touch of push ‘em up function? However, if I have to choose between new undies or roses, I’ll choose roses.
"Flowers are the sweetest thing God ever made and forgot to put a soul in." 
                                                                             ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

Over the years I’ve heard all the reasons why I should not spend money on fresh flowers. Flowers are a waste of money…They’re going to die in a few days…Flowers are frivolous and self-indulgent. If I can’t eat a plant, I don’t grow it or buy it. I wince every time I hear one of these joyless reasons why I should not sprinkle my life with flowers. Ok…point taken, but not entirely understood and I’m not planning to take any of these reasons to heart in the near future and probably not ever.

 “A flowerless room is a soulless room, to my way of thinking; but even a solitary little vase of a living flower may redeem it.” ~Vita Sackville-West

To counterpoint reasons offered I suggest a small experiment. Anyone who feels flowers on the table or desk where you spend your day are not worth the money, take a crowbar and pry open your purse for one small bouquet of flowers or even a single stem. Place the flowers where you can see them and enjoy them all day. Take them home with you in the evening so you can continue to observe the beauty. Did your spirits lift each time you noticed the colors? Did you wrinkle your nose with pleasure each time a breeze from unknown sources stirred the air, swirling fragrance about you? After a few days, tell me if you didn’t find even a shred of joy in that single rose.

“The Amen! Of nature is always a flower.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

It’s that shred of joy that awakens my spirit and causes a sigh that makes purchasing fresh flowers worthwhile. I wonder why fresh flowers are so important to one and not another. I wonder what gene pulsates through my body making something so beautiful, so ephemeral so important to me. Each time I walk past a bouquet of flowers I stop for a moment and I feel blessed to be in the presence of such splendor. I am overwhelmed by the miracle of such perfect imperfections of nature. Something stirs in my soul and I know without flowers that a little piece of my heart would die and fall into oblivion.
A profusion of pink roses bending ragged in the rain speaks to me of all gentleness and its enduring.”
~William Carlos Williams

I have no answers as to the why’s and perhaps it’s a waste of time to question, so I’ll continue to live as I always have under the mantra…I’d rather buy one single pink rose than a dozen pairs of pink silk undies.

"You love roses - so do I.  I wish the sky would rain down roses, as they rain from the shaken bush.  Why will it not?  Then all the valley would be pink and white and soft to tread on.  They would fall as light as feathers, smelling sweet, and it would be like sleeping and like walking all at once!"
~ George Eliot

16 comments:

  1. You are so right!
    I'm going to be out and about today. Maybe I'll come home with some flowers.
    Beautiful photos.
    Thank you for this.

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  2. A wonderful post! Buying flowers, brings nature inside where you can observe it up close. There is nothing like giving flowers that bring joy to a loved one.

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  3. Nana...oh do pick up something bright and beautiful while you're out and about.

    Noelle...the loved one I give flowers to is ME! It's my guilty pleasure and self-indulgent hedonism to buy flowers for no other reason than to bring joy to my soul.

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  4. Roses, of course. But I answer 'roses' to most questions. :)
    ... Connie

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  5. Hi T. I so love this posting of yours. I would rather have the flowers too. Nothing lifts your spirits like flowers blooming.
    Gorgeous pictures girl!

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  6. Hello Connie and welcome to the Cottage on the Corner. I must say your blog leaves me pining for more...those rose photos are exquisite.

    Lona...thanks for stopping by. You're making me blush with your kind words. I am so taken with beautiful blooms that at times it leaves me speechless...not often, but once in a while. LOL

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  7. For a long time I had only vegetables in my garden and then started to add flowers. I felt guilty because they took up good space. My friend and Bob's mom, Joyce said, "Flowers are food for the eyes. You are beautiful.

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  8. Dear Bev,

    Flowers are a feast for the eyes and what they do for my soul is nearly beyond words. And last Saturday... I really did choose pink roses over undies! LOL

    Thank you for stopping, big sis! Love you to bits!

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  9. Wonderful post! I love flowers as adornment..whether i cut them straight from the garden to fill a vase.. or bought or recieved as a gift..they uplift any space and any heart! I have a small section in my garden for jsut that..a cutting garden... it is wonderful for arrangements,an outdoor tea party..and it gives the other flowers a chance to grow too.In the winter I love bought flowers..to keep the joy of nature in my life. Nothing is wasted if enjoyed and appreciated and celebrated!

    Kiki~

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  10. Beautifully written! I'll take flowers over undies any day too! btw, those roses are just an exquisite shade of pink.

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  11. As I admire your photos, the ruffles edging the roses, especially in the first picture, actually look like little pink petticoats and lingerie. It's a great analogy.

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  12. Ah, those roses are gorgeous! I hope you got both, pretty flowers and pretty new underthings! LOL Get thee to the Franklin Park Conservatory here in the Columbus area, and of course you should combine it with the Home and Garden Show in a few weeks.

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  13. You are so, so right. It's tulips that I always buy for myself, and I put them in my study or the front hallway where I can see them as I walk in the door. Haven't done it in a while so this post reminds me to start up this wonderful "indulgence" again!

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  14. I love looking at the roses. How can anyone not love a rose?

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  15. A lovely post! I like roses in every color, but those pink ones are gorgeous! I am planning a new rose bed this year, and can't wait now I have seen your great photographs. Pam

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  16. These roses are exquisite. Do you know their name?

    What a beautiful post. Although you are preaching to the choir, I will add my "Amen, sister."

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