TLDR: It turns out… them daggum hippies were right.
Flowers are incredibly powerful things. They evoke a chemical and emotional response in our evolutionarily designed bodies that results in feelings of joy and hope.
You see, back in our grunting days where hunting and foraging were the means of survival, daffodils popping up from the dew swept, frigid lands meant that the long, cold, relentless winter was at last coming to an end. And that, my friends, meant it was time to live in the bounty of warmth to hunt, gather and prepare for the next long stretch of winter.
Let me ask you... can you think of a time when you’ve seen someone receive unexpected flowers where they weren’t overcome with joy? I’ll wait… but I’m betting no, I’d even put my Dolly Parton LP’s on it.
Because that’s not a thing.
The person receiving those flowers has a literal chemical reaction in their brain that is programmed from our caveman days; it’s involuntary. And it turns out, men are not excluded from this. Even men, in all their masculine glory, have an involuntary response of joy when they are gifted flowers. Chew on that strip of truth jerky for a minute…
In starting The May Garden, I’ve been trying to nail a simplified explanation of what my vision is for it. The meaning behind it, and how I hope to have an effect on the world. Two quick reasons to explain the reasoning (without having to read on further) are that my Mama and I always looked forward to May 1st growing up in Colorado to finally be able to plant after the snow-filled winter. It signifies that you may start another year of beauty, at least to me. Additionally, it turns out that that day happens to be the day I was born; and my Mama always called me her flower child for that reason.
Now, I must forewarn you: this next part could be uncomfortable or triggering. So, please proceed with caution.
Circling back, I know there is no instant solution for the plague of depression that haunts much of the world, or the dark thoughts that have overtook so many lives by the ultimate, final decision. If there was, I would still have both my mother and husband here by my side to help raise the most beautiful little girl in the world (I’m completely impartial in that statement, of course).
However, I do know that if a bit of joy is added to another’s day, they may just have those dark thoughts plucked from their brain like one of the relentless weeds I pull daily. And the trick with weeds, is to pull them with the root intact. It’s not always the first time you can get the weed by the root, but when it grows back it’s not as strong, not as powerful. You took its life force of photosynthesis that supplies energy to their roots, and therefore the next time you go on a weed pulling rampage, it’s easier to expunge it from its grips of the fertile soil.
Now, obviously not everyone is in the position of needing their brain-weeds to be expunged. But the other trick up our dear flower’s sleeves is that they show appreciation, gratitude, and love. And who doesn’t deserve a bit of that today? By gifting flowers, you not only are giving a nice cocktail of happy hormones, you are also giving yourself a tall glass of joy as well. Both the receiver and gifter have that wonderful science stuff going on in their head. That’s right... we’ve got a BOGO, baby.
May you make someone happy today. Allow the power of flowers, kindness, gratitude and most importantly the grace for yourself to help you do so. ✌🏻