Gathering Flowers and Such

“A flower unplucked is but left to the falling, and nothing is gained by not gathering roses”. I first read this passage in a Robert Frost poem last summer and have since spent a lot of time contemplating it. I have recently come to visualize the rose and the flower as joy, happiness, and bliss, all of which are waiting to be harvested in lieu of falling away and withering, bereft of me and mine. Thus, I have concluded that nothing is gained by not gathering them and therefore, gather them, I shall.  

On Freedom and Slavery

Freedom is a concept that cannot truly be comprehended by those who have always been free, and consequently, slavery is a concept that cannot truly be comprehended by those who have never been enslaved.
 

On the Pursuit of Destiny

"As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we fully bloom. It happens in its own time."
*   Denis Waitley

On Happiness

"Happiness is only in loving."
* Leo Tolstoy

Self-awareness

You can convince yourself into believing anything, so be careful what you say to you.

Hummingbirds and Such

While relaxing and leaning against the railing of the deck, I notice several hummingbirds jockeying for position on the feeder nearby. I think little of it as it’s usually a daily occurrence, and honestly, I’m more concerned with the ice-cold drink I just opened after mowing the grass in the hot summer sun. This is all about to change, though. Two of these tiny behemoths decide to do battle just above my head. I duck. Recovering quickly, I reach for my carbonated beverage and suddenly find myself staring into the tiny eyes and needle-sharp beak of one of the hummers hovering just twelve inches from my face. It looks at me with curiosity or indifference perhaps, but then two others decide to attack him and I realize I’m in the middle of something I shouldn’t be in the middle of. Another hummingbird and then another and another joins the fray and still I’m not worried… they’re only hummingbirds, right? Think again. After ten or so near misses, I am now watching the conflict from the safety of the kitchen window.               

Flowers and Thorns

The rose petals along with the thorns wither on the same vine if the soil is not tended.