Reasons to smile

It’s been one of those weeks.

Spent some time in Virginia with my sister, making some difficult decisions for our mom.

Plus, out and about in the world, plenty of folks seemed struck with a case of the nasties — on the road, in the stores, at my gym. Maybe it was the heat, or the end-of-summer blues, or the state of the union, or the full moon. Whatever.

An example: I headed to the gym this morning for my usual 9 a.m. class, which has been more crowded lately. When that happens, people adjust, they make room, because this is not one of those gyms where people eat their young. Just the opposite: smart and interesting people who are helpful, inclusive and open to new people and ideas. I looked around for an empty spot, grabbed a step, mat, bar and weights and knelt down while clipping the weights onto the bar. All of a sudden a woman jumps down next to me, slams her hands on my step and screams in my face, “You’re right on top of me!” (Mind you, I wasn’t even close.) Must have been my “Are you a lunatic?” look in response that sent her moving her own stuff. Talk about unsettling, especially on a Saturday morning.

Against this backdrop I returned to my garden after being away for ten days, sensing that some bad juju might have likewise infested my flowers — along with a nasty bacteria that had started eating my zinnia leaves weeks ago (hence a pending new blog post entitled “Trouble in Paradise”). I envisioned wilting flowers, crumbling leaves and weeds galore.

But then I turned the corner towards my plot, looked up and stopped in my tracks. Whoa. Ahead stood a kaleidoscope of flowers.

Not Floret Flower Farm, for sure, or Morgan’s Farm.

But still, took my breath away. And made me smile.

I got to work on the little bit of weeding needed, did a big cutting, chatted with another gardener who mentioned my flowers, and left with a bucket full of color, along with a good reminder.

Be kind to each other, people.

Everybody’s going through something, but there’s still plenty of goodness and beauty in this world.

And a smile goes a long way.

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