sometimes reluctant
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Impatiens
In the spring, a local boy scout rang my doorbell. He asked me if I would like to buy some flowers. Since there's a cub scout in residence at my house, I happen to know that the flower sale is instrumental in funding most of the boy scout events throughout the year.
Just so you know, I'm famously cheap. I LOVE a bargain. Nobody shops harder than I do to save a buck. And this flower sale was not a bargain. At all. But, I'm a neighbor... and I like boys... So, I signed up for a flat of impatiens.
When they arrived, they were puny and sickly looking. I hoped when I got them into some rich soil, and some nourishing water, and some marvelous sunshine (but not too much) they'd revive.
I planted them. And watered them. And they continued to look sickly. So I watered them some more. And it rained. And they still looked awful. I pulled up a few to make room for something that looked nicer. And it rained some more. They still looked puny. The other plants bloomed. They didn't.
So I approached the boy scout who sold them to me. I said, "The impatiens I got from you are not looking good. I planted them right away and I've watered them, but I don't think they're going to make it. Can you get me some more?" He said, "You can buy more if you want." "NO," I replied, "I don't want to buy more because the ones I already bought are dying. I'd like replacement flowers if there are any more." He shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know about replacement flowers. But I could always buy more.
For weeks, every time I pulled into or out of my drive way, I grumbled under my breath about the boy scouts and those flowers.
About the time I quit complaining about them, they started to grow tall and bloom heartily. I then started grumbling about my throwing some of them out becuase I thought they were dying. Ever the miser.
Now, in late September, I'm getting comments about how those impatiens are flourishing. I told my father-in-law that as soon as I quit complaining, they just took off.
I wonder how many other things in my life would flourish if I would quit complaining and expect something beautiful to happen? ¶ 6:59 PM 4 comments
Just so you know, I'm famously cheap. I LOVE a bargain. Nobody shops harder than I do to save a buck. And this flower sale was not a bargain. At all. But, I'm a neighbor... and I like boys... So, I signed up for a flat of impatiens.
When they arrived, they were puny and sickly looking. I hoped when I got them into some rich soil, and some nourishing water, and some marvelous sunshine (but not too much) they'd revive.
I planted them. And watered them. And they continued to look sickly. So I watered them some more. And it rained. And they still looked awful. I pulled up a few to make room for something that looked nicer. And it rained some more. They still looked puny. The other plants bloomed. They didn't.
So I approached the boy scout who sold them to me. I said, "The impatiens I got from you are not looking good. I planted them right away and I've watered them, but I don't think they're going to make it. Can you get me some more?" He said, "You can buy more if you want." "NO," I replied, "I don't want to buy more because the ones I already bought are dying. I'd like replacement flowers if there are any more." He shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know about replacement flowers. But I could always buy more.
For weeks, every time I pulled into or out of my drive way, I grumbled under my breath about the boy scouts and those flowers.
About the time I quit complaining about them, they started to grow tall and bloom heartily. I then started grumbling about my throwing some of them out becuase I thought they were dying. Ever the miser.
Now, in late September, I'm getting comments about how those impatiens are flourishing. I told my father-in-law that as soon as I quit complaining, they just took off.
I wonder how many other things in my life would flourish if I would quit complaining and expect something beautiful to happen? ¶ 6:59 PM 4 comments
