I can’t say I love surprises. Maybe it’s because most of them are…well…not good.
In the never-ending quest to improve the color schemes in the garden, a friend with expertise in color coordination suggested that I move my native columbine to the “yellow” area. The relative shade there would afford a hospitable habitat, and the plant’s yellow and reddish tones would blend nicely with the existing plants.
This brave little volunteer plant had lived on the unseen side of my house for several years. It certainly was time to let this little gem show off its colors! I had shared some of the seedlings from its immediate vicinity last spring. Now it was time to appreciate it myself.
There were already columbine in this new yellow bed, devoted to the “brassy” colors; orange, yellow, and bronze tones. I assumed I had obtained them in a plant trade. Belonging to a group of gardeners who swap plants has given me the opportunity to try out new things, and the “tame” columbine is a new hobby. One was labeled as a “red” columbine, but it unexpectedly bloomed purple. See what I mean about surprises? No problem; it will be moved to the cool-colored area after it blooms.
The other columbine was puzzling. It almost fell victim to my weeder, since it had no marker, but just in time I recognized its delicately scalloped leaves before hacking it out. I could only remember obtaining a red and a blue columbine from the plant swap. Hmmm… the other one was purple, and the blue one was in the blue and pink bed… What could it be?
After weeks of anticipation, it was quite a surprise to me that when it did bloom a week ago, it was not a cultivated blue, pink, or purple variety at all. The taller, slender stems bore the familiar yellow and orange of the native species! Just what the doctor ordered.
Either I am a brilliant strategist who is too forgetful about where I plant things, or a seed was carried far enough away from the mother plant to give me a sweet wildflower in a perfect spot.
Isn’t it true that our days are sometimes so ordered and planned that we miss out on some great surprises that seem to pop up out of nowhere?
We all know that we are supposed to make lemonade when life hands us lemons. But what if life hands us lemonade? Then it’s not time to make pickled fish, it’s time to drink up!
I loved it when we were homeschooling and had the freedom to take “sun days” as well as “snow days” off. If the weather turned incredibly pleasant, why not take time to enjoy it?
Likewise, if an unexpected opportunity arises, we can bask in the light and warmth it brings to our lives instead of weeding it out just because it didn’t fit in our busy schedule.
A young friend of mine reminded me recently of a situation where a surprise wasn’t welcomed. She was on a business trip on the opposite coast, close to where her grandmother lived. She called her up and told her she was in town and would like to take time to stop in.
Imagine the shock when she was told curtly, “Sorry, I’m not receiving visitors today.” That super-organized grandmother missed out on a wonderful surprise blessing!
Not all missed opportunities are this extreme, but the point is the same. Be open to the unplanned, unexpected goodness that comes our way. How much do we miss?
–by Christine Berglund @ www.forthright.net