Sunday, July 26, 2015

THE FLOWER ON THE FENCE


I found a flower on my fence this morning. 

Not attached to any plants in my yard. Not attached to any plant at all. A large pinkish lily tucked neatly by the gate post.

Who left it? My writer's mind considered a number of possibilities:
--A sharing of beauty from the woman across the street with whom I talk about flowers and syncronicities.
--A peace offering from the wife of the Peeping Tom who has harassed me for years.
--A place to stash the hot goods by kids who stole it from another neighbor's yard. 
--A thank you from a stranger who stopped for a moment under the shade of the beautiful silver maple tree that shades my front yard and the sidewalk. 
--A flirtatious gift from an admirer of my son.
--Poison disguised in beauty by someone seeking revenge. One sniff and you're unconscious.
--A random gesture from one of the church members who leave cookies at Christmas that I always throw away because I won't touch homemade food from someone I don't know. 
--A cheerful gift from someone who figured the grumpy old lady (me!) who lived in this house needed something to sweeten her disposition.
--A friend passing by who didn't have time to visit but wanted to brighten my day.

As I considered the possibilities, I noticed many of them were rather cynical. Oy! Is this what I have come to? Since I'm at a stage of reinventing me and deciding what I want to be for the rest of my life, this was a beautifully gentle reminder to look at the inner me. Have I fallen into the habit of seeing other people with suspicion? I'd rather look for the best in others, even if I have to look very deeply. LOL! Some habits take more work to change than others. 

In the meantime, I'm leaving the flower on the fence. Perhaps it will start a new tradition in the neighborhood. Perhaps I will help spread that tradition and change my cynical habits by leaving flowers for others.

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