Leaning

I was out in my front yard this morning, pulling weeds and putting in a few late plants to fill in the holes that are left by some of the early bloomers. The lilies will bloom soon. I noticed this morning, in the early morning sun, how they are oriented:

I had the camera straight up and down…it’s the flowers that are leaning. I had noticed that they were not vertical before, but had never thought much of it. The way they are leaning is away from the sidewalk, so the passersby will not get the best of the beauty of the lilies when they bloom. The way they are leaning is towards the morning sun.

See, the thing of it is this: they don’t get any afternoon sun, or evening sun. The elm trees that line the boulevard provide a thick shady canopy that blocks the sun. The only time they get the sun is in the morning, and so they reach towards it, big time.

Flowers aren’t so different from people in that way, huh? We naturally lean towards sources of warmth in our life as well. People who exude safety and comfort in our lives are attractive and attracting. Those who provide us with nourishment for our soul are people we long to be with.

There are those you long to have close to you…people who you care about, want to be with, who you want to protect and love. Be like the sun to them and allow nature to take its course. It’s not always easy, and people aren’t as simple as flowers. I get that. But to deny the power of being a safe, warm, nourishing place for someone you long to have close to you, to cynically brush the power of that off is a cop out. It makes a difference.

If your spouse seems distant, your child hostile, or your friend has given you the cold shoulder…take a deep breath, (supporting yourself big time as you do this) and show some sincere warmth to the other. Stick with it, not being a door mat, but being a constant warm presence. See what happens.