Give Flowers to the Living

Give flowers to the living. That is a saying my mom often used. It meant: be kind, tell people the nice things you are thinking, give praise and bouquets of thanks (and don’t wait till they are gone).

It’s been an exhausting week with a hectic work load, and a bit of the cold-and-flu season, but mainly because I lost a friend to ALS last week. And, yes, it didn’t help that it’s Valentine’s Day today and I’m very much “single”.

To my surprise some flowers were delivered to the house yesterday. A sweet friend of mine sent them to me, thanking me for my friendship. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise: I know of no woman who doesn’t delight in getting flowers. I’m always thrilled on the rare occasion when I come home and there is a bouquet on my doorstep or a florist’s delivery person has knocked on the door.

There are also other kinds of flowers that we can give: the bank teller who has a gorgeous hair cut would appreciate your comment, a co-worker who is wearing a lovely outfit would be so pleased to hear that compliment that’s in your head. A child who’s done a good job on something around the house would appreciate hearing your praise.

I’m trying to make my 3-pronged gratitude exercise a habit. I keep a journal by my bedside and when I wake up in the morning I take a moment to write in it. I list three things I’m grateful for, I write a short paragraph describing a positive experience I’ve recently had, and I make a note about who I will call or email that day to say something positive to – who I will give “flowers” to.

It’s a wonderful way to live, giving flowers of all kinds.