A Flower A Day
In the opening chapter of Echkart Tolle’s spiritual book A New Earth he writes about the first flower that ever bloomed on the planet. Flowers, in its lovely and delicate form, are one of the earth’s finest creations — nature’s pieces of art that exist purely for the sake of beauty. Beauty needs no other purpose or reason to exist but to be, and witnessing a flower’s beauty is one way we can be present with the divine. Tolle writes that flowers are God’s way of speaking to us. We can hear the message if we slow down and pay attention.
It’s the beginning of spring. Over the weekend, I went outside for a morning walk. It was the first time I’d allowed myself to do so since the shelter-in-place and quarantine two weeks ago. I strolled around my neighborhood, taking in the gentle breeze of the trees, the birds singing on the branches, and marveling at the array of flower buds. White, pink, purple, orange, and yellow flowers that bloomed in the trees, burst from the ground, and spread across my neighbors’ lawns.
I paused once to peer closely at the droplets of rain on a cluster of tiny white flowers and leaves, growing out from the sidewalk in joyful defiance. So delicate, yet resilient. Warmth and happiness spread throughout my body, and to my surprise, my eyes welled with tears. I was grateful for this small gift from God and Mother Earth — a gentle reminder that hope was coming.
On April 7, 2020, it will be a new season of #the100dayproject. In the past, I’ve participated for various challenges — taking photos, sharing inspiring quotes, and writing posts every day. This year, in the age of the Coronavirus, shelter-in-place, and social distancing, I didn’t believe I could do it, if my heart could be in it. It felt too frivilous to indulge in a creative project when there was so much heaviness in the world.
But this morning, I felt a shift. Maybe it was the walking, the extra boost of energy in my days, that made me reconsider. Maybe it was feeling as if I had more agency over my days than I realized. Maybe it was revisiting the idea that art and the act of creation does have a place in these dark times, perhaps even more so. Maybe it was believing that one of the most humane, revolutionary things that we can do is to bring beauty into the world. To choose love and joy over fear in our everyday actions.
This morning, I woke up inspired, and I decided that I wanted to make art. And whether it was for #the100dayproject or not, my soul was craving to create something every day, starting today. Something to remind myself that I was human, alive, and present, and that there was still hope in these uncertain days.
In the dark, quiet hours of the morning, the idea came.
I will draw a flower a day, for 100 days and more, for as long as I feel I need to, and for simply having its beauty exist in the world.
