The peonies.

The peonies are blooming at my house - which means it is a special time.  I have learned a great deal from these peonies; things I never want to forget.

Peony lesson #1

Although the peonies take a long time to blossom and develop blooms, they only stay for a short time - usually no more than a week.  When I moved into my home, I had never grown peonies before so once I saw them open, I was thrilled.  I didn't realize how quickly their beautiful flowers would disappear and once they were gone, I was disappointed by this botanical and even considered pulling it out of my garden.  However, then I thought about how much these blossoms represent life.  

 There are things you put a great deal of energy into for a long time, only to have their existence be short-lived.  The trick is to enjoy the moment and recognize that no matter how fleeting the time might be, it was wonderful when it happened.

Peony Lesson #2

The peonies go through different times of being fragile; sometimes they are tough and have a protected nature to them.  You can brush past them in the garden or bump them with your trowel and nothing will happen.  Their continued growth is undeterred by the external pressures they face.  

BUT, sometimes they are fragile and if adversity occurs, the beautiful blooms crumble - and then the rebuilding process begins - which takes a long time.

I believe people are like this as well.  There are times in my life that I can handle adversities easily and swiftly, without being deterred from my ultimate goal.  However, there have been days/weeks/months when adversity has caused me to crumble, and the rebuilding process took time.

 

As my life changes this summer and I am moving out of my house, there are little moments like this that I recognize I will miss.  Every so often in the past few months, I have found myself experiencing little things (like this year's peony bloom) and realizing, "This moment will never happen again in this way.  I won't be here next year" - and although I am thrilled to by marrying Chad and sharing our new life together, there is a tinge of sadness that accompanies these moments that I have come to expect in this house. 

After 8 years here, I have developed a sense of routine year to year of things I can count on (like the beautiful blooms of peonies in the middle of May), or my simply forsythia bush in the backyard - which is one of my favorite plants.  I will miss these moments, as they have become familiar and something to count on no matter what kind of upheaval is going on in the rest of my world.  This much I know - the first thing to plant when we move into our new home will be a peony plant, as (although it sounds strange) this little plant has taught me two life lessons that I cherish.

If you have never grown peonies before, I highly recommend this beautiful flower.  The don't cut well, they tease you with a fast bloom, and then represent mere greenery for the rest of the season, but it's all worth it because when the entire bush is in blossom, you know something special is happening before you.  Happy gardening.