I started my first official job, babysitting notwithstanding, when I was 14 years old. It was at a local flower shop just a few blocks from my school. I think I started at $4.25/hour and happily thought my bi-weekly paycheck was a small fortune. One of my favorite parts of the job was coming home from my little shifts with fresh flowers.
When I first started I quickly grew to love Alstroemeria; I think in those days the fact that it came in so many colors blew my mind. My taste then grew a bit more complex (and perhaps refined?) when my obsession with the Sunflower began followed by a long and deep infatuation with the Peony.
By college (I stayed in the floral business for many years), I had moved on to Tulips and Anemones spending a small part of most paychecks buying them by the bunches. It was not until my adulthood that I really started to understand the Rose, particularly the wild or garden variety, when my beloved best friend and roommate would bring a few of her daily scraps home (she too in the flower business) and we would put them out in simple designs for our dinner parties.
These days I live a life where I can’t freely have flowers in the house. I have two cats and no matter what I do they will hunt down and eat/bite/tip over anything that even remotely looks like a flower. I have always been so inspired by flowers so it saddens me almost too much to even write about but then this week I had a little revelation!
Early in the week we had another major snowstorm followed by many beautiful days of bright blue-skied sun and I found myself desperately wanting to go and find some tall tulips. Then one night I was getting ready to sleep and taking out my barrettes at the dresser and it hit me: I am surrounded by flowers all the time and I didn’t even really notice.
So I went on a petite treasure hunt around my flat …
Yes… flowers.
That feels better already don’t you think?