Power to the Flower

Some of the moments where I’ve felt my sexiest happened when I was deep in the dirt gardening. There’s just something sensual about running your fingers through black gold, digging holes, and seeing big fat worms weave their way through your garden.

When I bought my home in Atlanta I realized, “Hey, this is all mine. I can do anything I want with my house.” And I did.  

Soon I was tearing up my front yard and creating a garden from scratch. I was transporting azaleas from front to back and I was digging up the area closest to the street because that was the only spot with full sun. I’m sure neighbors thought I was nuts, but this was happening at a time of personal transition in my life where I was trying to recover from a situation where I felt betrayal and loneliness. It was almost like I was indulging in self-therapy. All I needed was my handy shovel to unearth the land and work through my problems. 

In the process of physically working my land I discovered I not only had a new passion but I was also centering my mind again. By positioning plants in their proper places and watching them thrive, I felt personally empowered.  

Nowadays, as a renter in Portland, my gardening consists mostly of flower pots. I don’t spend a lot of time with my hands deep in these pots, but then again I’m in a different transition point of my life.  

Still the power of the flower is very much within me.

When a friend suggested this week that we jump in the car and daytrip to Woodburn, Oregon, for the annual tulip festival I was more than happy to join in the journey. We pulled up to one of the most beautiful views I’d seen in a long time: acres and acres of tulips in all kinds of varieties and in all kinds of colors. It was easy to get lost in the beauty of it all.  

Mud was everywhere, on my shoes and on my jeans. As I gingerly made my way through rows of tulips I couldn’t help but think of my old garden and how much I missed it. And then it hit me. It was through that garden that I got to where I am today.  

And while I continue to figure out my place on both a professional and personal level, I know all those years spent tugging weeds out of stubborn soil and taking chances on near dead shrubs, has helped me work through my fears and doubts about making change in my life. I realize if I could build that garden and maintain it like I did for years, then I could certainly do that with my own world today. And how sexy is that?

((please hit play button to watch video))