🌻 Monday — A Taste of Flava

Sometimes You Just Have to Throw Away the Dead Flowers

For almost a month, I had three vases of dead birthday flowers sitting in my space.

Yep.

Dead. 💀🌹

My birthday was July 7th. It is now August and those flowers have been sitting there minding their dead little business while I kept looking at them. 😂

I knew they needed to go.

The problem was… there is still a little bit of that floral designer living inside of me.

There was a time when I worked in the floral industry and I would intentionally dry flowers. I could take dried flowers and turn them into beautiful wreaths and arrangements. So when I looked at these, my creative mind would start:

Wellllll… that one still has some color.

Those purple ones aren’t too bad.

Maybe I could salvage a few.

And that’s how three vases of dead flowers stayed in my space for a month. 🤣

But there was another feeling growing stronger.

Get rid of them.

Clear the space.

I have always appreciated the wisdom found in Asian cultures about our surroundings, energy and creating peaceful spaces. And whether you look at it spiritually, culturally or simply practically, sometimes removing what is dead, finished or no longer serving a purpose just makes a space feel better.

This morning, I finally did it.

I emptied all three vases.

I put the flowers in a brown paper bag.

And they’re going in the trash.

I didn’t save the purple ones.

I didn’t make a wreath.

I didn’t create a keepsake.

I let them go.

And you know what?

My space immediately looked and felt better.

There was something freeing about looking at those empty vases.

The flowers had already done what they came here to do.

They were given to me by people who love me for my birthday. They were beautiful. I enjoyed them. I appreciated the thought behind them.

Throwing them away doesn’t throw away the love that came with them.

Maybe that’s what I needed to understand.

Sometimes we hold onto things because of what they represented, long after the actual thing has served its purpose.

And sometimes the most respectful thing we can do is simply say:

Thank you. I enjoyed you. Your time here is finished.

So this morning, I’m going to have myself a cup of coffee and a banana nut muffin.

I’m going to look at my clean space and raise my coffee cup to my family.

Cheers. ☕️🌻

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for remembering my birthday.

Thank you for the beautiful flowers.

And then I’m going to whisper…

Next year, just buy me a dark chocolate candy bar. 😉🍫

It lasts about ten minutes.

I don’t have to change its water.

And I promise you…

Nothing will be left sitting around dead for a month.

🤣🤣🤣

From Flava In Her Tower 🌻🐆