There was a great little throwaway scene in the 1987 movie, Roxanne, when the central character, played by Steve Martin, stopped on his morning walk to get a newspaper from the box. He jauntily fished around in his pocket and deposited his quarter, pulled open the door and retrieved the daily newspaper. He took one look at the headlines, shrieked, and in one fluid move stuck another quarter in the box, opened the door and threw the newspaper back in!
I haven’t seen a newspaper lately that I wasn’t tempted to throw back in the box! The headlines are distressing, and I know I’m not alone when I say that maintaining my equilibrium in the face of these dark and ugly days is sometimes utterly exhausting.
These are the thoughts that swirl around in my head as I venture out each morning on my walk. And almost every morning my troubled questions are answered by the simple little wildflowers growing alongside my path. Every little flower stands in defiance of the world around it by simply blooming. No drama and no fanfare. Just nature, making its way.
I find tremendous security in knowing that despite the ongoing turmoil, these little unfolding miracles just keep blooming – regardless of their surroundings and without a care who may or may not be watching. Still your anxieties with this thought. When I wear one of these “still life” pieces, I am meeting every situation with a bit of that quiet, calming defiance.