Get yourself some flowers!

                                                           
  I've always loved flowers.  I love them on plants, on trees, in the streets, in someone's house, in the buckets at the flower markets, on the fields, at the beach and on my hair.

                                                 
   But I had been talking myself out of buying flowers for a while now.  It all started while being on a tight budget.  Spending money on something purely decorative, that was also dead, and would therefore not last too long anyways, just seemed wasteful.  Plus our cat, Jupiter, loves to eat leaves, and has been known o knock over flower vases while having a midnight snack!
Slowly, it turned into one of those self imposed rules we create that end up becoming a little part of ourselves. 

                                                        
     Luckily, my self restraint from buying flowers changed one day last year, at the farmers market.  I was working in the ferry building, and during my breaks on Tuesdays and Sundays, I would walk around the market and get my produce.  They always had gorgeous flowers! Quince, Plum and Cherry blossoms first, then Anenomes, Ranunculus, Tulips and Dahlias, Daffodils and Sunflowers, Gladiolas and Lilies, Mums...  And these are only the ones I remember!  I just loved looking at them, smelling them, being around them!

                                   
   After a few months on the job, as I got to know the farmers, they started giving me deals on the produce, which left me enough wiggle room in the budget to get myself some flowers.
  It also turned out that Jupiter did not attack  these flowers, as I was taking off most of the leaves in order to arrange them into my newly acquired vintage blue mason jar.

                                      
   Coming home to a beautiful bouquet of colorful fresh flowers made me so happy! The energetic switch inside of me was so strong that it made me realize, flowers were to my soul what food is to my body: plain and simple nourishment! And so I was converted! 
If something so small, and to some people so insignificant, could make me so very happy, why the fuck should I not pursue it?!

                                               

  There is nothing wrong with indulging once in a while. Whether it's a large splurge of a fancy designer bag for a birthday, or a bunch of flowers at the market every other week, giving yourself permission to get something that you just plain don't need can be very liberating.   The key is to be aware of what you are doing, and of why, and to not confuse a splurge with a habit or even an addiction (how many shoes are in your closet?).  So I thought about it, and decided that this indulgence was worth it to me.  It was bringing a little more nature to my living space, it was reminding me of how colorful this place is, it was brightening my day.

                                                    

    As long as it was done mindfully, I could get myself flowers whenever I wanted.  So I made up a few new rules for myself and once again, became a believer.
I will only buy a bunch, and for no more than $5 unless it's a very special occasion.
Sometimes I  bargain with myself and trade in that bunch of Asparagus I wanted (although I already have enough vegetables in the basket) for a bunch of Anenomes (about the same price).
Ideally, I try to purchase them only at the farmers market, and if I happen to get them at the store, then I choose ones that are fair trade.

                                                
   I then take time to pick them, to look at all of them and see which  single bunch speaks to me.  Once I get home, I take the time to arrange them as beautifully as I can.  I pick which vase they will be happier in,  I find them a home in our home where they will be protected from the cat, yet be the center of attention. 
  Last but not least, I tend to them.  Even tough they are technically dead, they will last longer if their water is changed, and they look prettier if I remove the ones that start looking sad sooner than the rest.  In order to show respect to these plants, I try to keep them looking their best, for as long as I can, instead of just composting them all at the first sign of one wilting.

                                                         

  This small ritual is my way of thanking  the plant for giving me these flowers,  the growers for tending to them and picking them,  the driver/vendor for bringing them to the city and displaying them, my husband for giving me some cash (I never have cash!) :), and  myself for walking down to the market and buying them.
 In this way, the small, insignificant, mindless act of getting flowers for myself, turns into this beautiful exchange with all these beings around me.  And with this exchange comes a smile, and a reminder that we are all connected, as well as the sweet nectar of joy for my soul.