On Saturday night I asked my
friends on Facebook if they could guess my favorite flowers were. I asked them because I wanted to see how
people viewed me. I wanted to know the
impression I gave them. The guesses they
made were just as revealing as what the correct answers were, which is what I
was hoping for. I believe if you’re
going to really search yourself for your true identity, then you need to view
all sides. While this is a personal
search, it’s very enlightening to see how people view me, and when I know how
they view me, I’m able to sort out why they think that about me. What have I done, said, or how have I acted in
order for them to come to that conclusion about me.
The first guess was
orchid. The orchid is said to represent
luxury, elegance, and wealth and to be the symbol of perfection. Needless to say, I was flattered. Now, I thought that was very interesting
because that used to be my favorite flower when I was younger, when I was a
teenager. I loved them. They reminded me of hot, sultry far off lands
that the breezes smelt of spices.
Needless to say if anyone who knew me as a teenager knew that while I
was older than my years at times, I was very… sociable? Lol Um I was coming into my woman hood and
exploring the world and pushing my boundaries, testing authority and fighting
for a freedom that always seemed to elude me.
As a teenager, I was in the between stages of woman and child and was
pulled in both directions. Parts of me
didn’t want to leave high school… there were rules and boundaries. But the majority of me screamed to be free
and allowed to explore. I wanted to taste
life in all her fullness. I was often
rash and ruled completely by my emotions.
For those of ya’ll who know me, are probably agreeing whole heartedly
with the previous description, and in a form, your are correct. I am still that wild passionate spirit, but
that spirit has grown and manifested because I am now a woman and a mother. The orchid in me left its water mark on the
artwork of my identity. It will never go
away.
The second guess was the
rose. It represents love, romance,
passion, honor, faith, and beauty. Now,
I’ll tell you like I told my friend, I hate roses and if you really want to
give me one, then it has to be a black rose or a blue one. I know it doesn’t make sense to hate a flower
that represents so much that is good and wonderful, but for pity sakes, I find
the rose to be very hypocritical. Yes. I said it.
While it once meant something wonderful for a woman to receive one of
these commercialized beauties, society has ruined that for this deep soul. Many men give them just to get out of the dog
house and have no clue what they truly stand for and silly woman who are very undeserving,
receive them. And ya’ll know exactly
what I’m talking about so I’ll leave that alone. But like I said, if you’re going to give me a
rose, I want black because it represents death giving way to rebirth, a rare
devotion to the person, or a tragic love; or a blue rose which is a symbol of the
impossible and unattainable, as well as a symbol of hope for an impossible love
or an unrequited love, and is a symbol for a miracle.
Daisies were the fourth
guess. The name Daisy apparently comes
from the Anglo Saxon term “daes eage” which translates to “day’s eye”. They received this name because these flowers
open during the day and close at night.
Daisies represent innocence to the Celts because they believed that
daisies came from the spirits of babies that died during birth and bloomed to
ease their parent’s grief. And I know
I’m as guilty as a lot of women using them for determining their true
love. “He loves me, He loves me
not…” Needless to say these represent
purity, innocence, and love. But for me
they’re rather annoying… they seem to be too happy… they make me want to pop their
heads of like we did as little girls with dandelions. Lol
Lilies were the 5th
and final guess. But as you know there
are many in that family, so I asked them to narrow it to a certain type. The infamous tiger lily was guessed. Now… I’m honestly not sure how I feel having
this lily being guessed as opposed to the day lily or something else. This flower represents wealth and pride. While I don’t really care about wealth, I am a proud woman at times. I’m proud in the basic sense of I take pride
in my work, proud of my daughter, proud of my accomplishments, but I’m in no way
prideful in the sense that I think I’m better than my peers. I don’t know if I said that right, but we all
know that there is a difference in being proud and having pride. That’s not all with this flower, there’s also
a down side to it. The tiger lily
carries a viral disease that infects other species it’s close to and it can
also be toxic to cats, causing vomiting, kidney failure ,lethargy and even
death… I’ve always thought that they were pretty, but never wanted them… They
always made me feel uneasy.
The other lily that was
guessed was the stargazer lily. I was
actually kind of surprised by this guess because it isn’t a “pure breed”
lily. This lily is actually a unique
hybrid lily that was created by an independent American lily grower whose name
was Leslie Woodruff. This flower was
introduced back in 1978 and stands for perfection, mystery, celebration, and
success. It’s the symbol of perfection
because it is a perfect blend of the finest attributes and features of the
Oriental and Asiatic lilies that it was derived from. And because of its beautiful fragrance it can
be nicknamed “heaven sent”. Since
Woodruff didn’t keep the most precise records while creating this flower, its
origins and creation are somewhat of a mystery, therefore making this flower a
symbol for mystery. Because the very
name, which was selected because it’s bloom points towards the sky, evokes a
symbolic message of high hopes, optimism and timeless possibilities, which are
all elements of celebration. This flower
also represents success because it is a direct fulfillment of a dream that an
American had.
I don’t have just one
favorite flower. I actually have two
favorites; while a few were correct with guessing lily, they had guessed the
wrong type. My favorite flowers are both
in the lily family… One is the Water
lily and the other one is the Lily of the Valley. The water lily is a unique flower that actually
grows out of the mud, at the bottom of a pond or lake, and emerges from the
water glorious and radiant, and the blossoms close at night and open at first
light. The Water lily represents
resurrection, enlightenment, and purity.
It is a person who can emerge undefiled or transform into their true
beauty from the illusion and chaos of the world.
My other favorite, the Lily
of the Valley, was actually my favorite flower as a child. I can remember spring days when I was around six
years old; I’d like to smell the flowers that were in my foster mother’s
garden. I had never seen anything like
them before and they had filled my little heart with mystery and hope… They made me dream of sweet wonderful things
and fairies… And their sent was so
sweet, and blossom so delicate. I was
always afraid I’d break them, but I would just have to touch it… Like fashion, many things in our life come
full circle… It is now Twenty years
later and the Lily of the Valley is again my favorite flowers. And yes…
I still think of fairies and dream up wonderful fantasies about life… Interestingly this flower represents
humility, the return of happiness, sweetness, purity, and innocence. I know I’m not the same little girl I once
was, but as I’ve stated before, as we transform and evolve as people, there
will always be echoes of our old selves.
There’s a watermark on my heart of the little girl who didn’t have a
care in the world, yet looked at life with the eye that had seen too much but
still was innocent and pure in her heart.
I’ve been through an awful
lot in my 26 years, and the things I’ve seen and done, can never be undone and
will have a forever influence in my life and the way I live, but maybe, the
return of the Lily of the Valley is a sign and symbol that I’ve once again
begun to see the world with eyes of an aged wisdom and have managed to find the
purity and innocence of my heart that I had hidden away many years ago. And maybe the Water Lily is my symbol for
making it; for pushing my way through the mud in life and blossoming into the
glorious and radiant woman I was always created to be.
I guess time will only tell…
Blessed Be
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