Flower show...

This week, in the building where I work, a sister organization staged a flower show.  The planning for this event went on for months ahead of time, but when the days came to install everything, the process seemed to progress like clockwork.

The ladies who participated were on the professional level - some horticulturalists in their own right, and flower arranging artists at the same time.  Their creations were accompanied by artist statements about what they were trying to achieve - some being simple and some being more philosophical.  Arrangements fell into categories: "sheet cake" styled flats, bird's nests, miniatures or "bees knees", sculptural, hanging pots, photography, jewelry, single stem, one plant per pot, bonzai,etc. Even for someone who was just a casual observer, the arrangements sparked curiosity and imagination.  A stroll through the exhibits provided a welcomed break from the otherwise strangely confrontational week. Well, confrontational on other fronts.

Even after having seen what can be done in the flower arranging world, and appreciating the hard work put in on the show, I was reminded of this simple bloom that surprises us ever year.  With no warning, it just pops straight out of the ground and bursts into this exotic blossom, with no foliage to connect it to the forest floor.  Such a random bit of loveliness.

What nature and the out of doors does for me is to give me peace out of its randomness.  Yes, I can appreciate the artistic way these ladies put together their show, but when I needed an escape from the harshness of a couple of my work days this week, my retreat was a solitary picnic bench tucked away in the woods close to our building. Nestled in the shade and obscured from the terrace by trees and shrubbery, it is a private place where tears can fall, if need be, and one can get that "breath of fresh air" by being surrounded by nature's balm of randomness.  No pretense. No show.  Just "being."