if you know me, you know i love flowers. i would keep a flower garden if i weren’t allergic to bees, but i am, so i don’t. the flowers in the photo were laid out for the taking (picture of) – well cultivated to line the center divider of a street near Atlanta’s symphony hall. the good thing about Sunday is there’s little traffic on this particular midtown street. i pulled into the left turning lane (opposite direction from my intended destination), put my car in PARK, turned on the hazard signal, jumped out of the car, and hovered over the bevy of flowers. of all the shots, this one is my favorite.
i am so happy for photography right now. these flowers remind me of my daughter, and interestingly, of being young and married. my wedding flowers were arm-held crimson tulips with stems so thick and long that the floral consultant insisted i practice holding them prior to walking down the aisle. i purchased red tulips for the house every week for that first year of marriage – never any other flower. only red tulips for the vase on the coffee table – both wedding gifts from a good friend.
for a long time after getting divorced, i refused to buy tulips. as though the marriage had leaked its ill fate into the cup-shaped flower. funny how that works. i’m a visual person. my heart takes its cues from what i see and, at times, my brain takes off sprinting down the path laid by nostalgia.
i think the world is an ounce better when i am loving tulips. and that makes me a little bit happiness (and maybe even an ounce better too).