It’s been warm here in the West.
I am not gloating, truly. I cringe to even write such a thing with all the family, friends and colleagues I have scattered across the Midwest and East. I know how cold it’s been there. So when I say we’ve had unseasonbly warm weather – warm even for SoCal – please know that I only say it to ponder something else. Something more remarkable.
My paperwhite lillies are blooming. All over my patio in their little clay-colored pots, paperwhites are blooming. Geraniums, too. The warming rays of a generous sun have convinced them there is simply no reason not to do with they are designed to do.
Makes me wonder what I could be capable of doing if I had no reason at all not to do what I’ve been designed to do. If I sensed no potential hazard, if I didn’t care what all paperwhites had done before me, if I chose to believe that the absence of obstacles was more than just an invitation to give it all I got; more like a happy obligation.
True, I worry about what will happen when chilly weather returns. What will happen in February if frosty mornings make a comeback?If I have to go back to wearing sweaters? What will happen to my paperwhites when spring really does arrive? Will they make a second appearance? I don’t know enough about bulbs and weather to know what will happen. I do know this.
I’ve had the pleasure of paperwhites in January.
Quite, quite lovely. . .
Truly lovely, indeed.