On Certainty

One should only work in flowers if they are open to serendipity. Certainty is certainly a thing but certainty can certainly come at the cost of serendipity. The trade is not intentional but it is true. With flowers there is no certainty. With flowers there is always a chance of serendipity.

As a teenager when things would feel dire as they do to a teenage girl, my Dad's response was always, Don’t worry, things work out. More than a toss away line, this is his laissez-faire philosophy to crises. A therapist once tried to spin his demeanor as dismissive of my feelings, the reason I keep a lid on my emotions today. That’s balls. His acceptance is not my denial and as a mantra for flowers I can imagine no better ethos. Que sera, sera.

So much has to go right to make a flower. The anxiety that comes with the uncertainty of farming is no small thing and it is no wonder that even the most seasoned and organized growers I know still have a streak of the superstitious. The best laid plans offer no guarantee. The dahlias Debra planted early this year came up late. In the end, a flower’s schedule is its own.

We schedule for a semblance of certainty and it is certainly helpful to be at the same place at the same time when hoping to meet with someone. Yet, the search for certainty certainly seems to cause more worry than it cures. Nothing ruins a pleasant drive on a known route more than mapping it. Checking every 5 minutes just to be sure you’re still going the right way certainly seems like uncertainty to me. And not the kind I enjoy.

Flowers are my kind of uncertainty. They ask us to pay attention not with the threat of peril but with potential. There is a chance for greatness that comes from something going totally awry. Or even just not right. It’s when you have to go a different way that you discover something new. Stumbling upon serendipity sure beats stepping in shit.

There is a certain question I am certainly asked most often. How long will they last? Certainly, I will be asked again. My answer,as always, will be the same... I can’t say for certain.

Love them while they live.