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| Evening Primrose at dusk |
A friend gave me an intriguing plant called the Evening
Primrose. Although the leaves almost
look like a dandelion it has beautiful flowers on it. Suddenly in the evening
spikes with a bulge on the end will appear. Only at dusk a brilliant yellow
flower opens. It may take only five or ten
minutes for the tight blossom incased in green, to open to a fragrant full
bloom. It is delightful to observe the
movement of the flower. The bloom only
lasts for one night and the next morning the flower dies. The Evening Primrose fascinates me, and on a
summer evening you might find me sitting on my porch, watching the flowers
open. It is mesmerizing and reminds me
of the Disney movies I saw as a kid which showed plants in slow motion.
One night I was startled to find twelve brilliant
blooms! They were beautiful, but I was
so disappointed because I had not seen them open. Being that I did not want to miss their
beauty, I decided to have my early morning cup of tea, sitting by the
flowers. Surprisingly, I began to notice
another beauty from the flowers—the closing and the dying of the flowers. They slowly began to change their color. The dazzling yellow bloom slowly faded to a
lovely pale orange color. It takes a much
longer period of time for the flowers to fold up and die than it does to
open. I was happy that I had taken the
time to just sit by my flowers and discover this new beauty.
The Evening Primrose reminds us to live in the present. I would have missed more of the magnificence of
the flower if I had not slowed down that morning to sit by them and observe.
This reminded me to just be with people around me and appreciate each life for
what is there.
How much richer life is when we do this?
As this flower was given to me, I too have passed it on to
others. My mother in Indiana and a
friend in Maryland have enjoyed its beauty.
I asked another friend in Grand Rapids if she would like a start, and
her reply was, “No, why would I want that—it lasts for only a short time, and
only at night at that!” Ah…but she is
the one who is missing out! Sad she
could not take in the present.
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| A fading primrose with a lovely color! |
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