Stop and smell the flowers…

This is the beauty that stopped me in my tracks this morning! You may have thought I exaggerated yesterday when I mentioned that tulips stop me in my tracks each spring. Well, today there was a witness. 🙂

These beautiful blooms were in large planters outside my office building this morning. A colleague across the way saw me stop mid-stride and called out in alarm, “What’s the matter? Are you ok?” By the time I was able to drag my eyes away from the flowers and locate her, she was practically at my side. All I could say was, “The tulips are blooming!” {Visual: me w/dazed and simplistic smile}

She laughed. “You stopped to look at flowers?” {There may have been a good amount of NYC condescension there….}

With big besotted smile, I replied, “Yes, I did! You should pause and take them in too!”

She looked down at the tulips with a bemused grin. “They already look like they’re dying.”

Ah! Amazing the different perspectives we view the world from. True, the leaves were not in good shape – many were brown and dry, but seriously, how can anyone fault the color and the freshness of the bloom? I pointed that out to her and she asked if I was going to smell them too even as I leaned down to do just that. Another shocked laugh from her, but she seemed to relax quickly. She even stayed and chatted with me as I framed and took the photos above. I insisted she smell the flowers too! Her scoffing turned into a moment of amazement. 😉

Who would’ve thought I could add “Floral Ambassador” to my list of life roles?  🙂

Today’s lesson: If you’re scoffing at beauty, you certainly can’t be enjoying it! True beauty is not the absence of flaws. True beauty is found in the presence of true appreciation. Take the time to enjoy your surroundings.

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