I enjoy occasions to give. But as I have aged, most people in my circle have all the things they want and to take up more space risks imposing oneself. Even my son, 21, has all the stuff he needs, and moving somewhat frequently as many his age do, I don’t need to burden him with things either.
With the combined drear of the pandemic and what was forecast to be a wet cool winter, I felt giving was important. I picked up a slew of amaryllis bulbs and small kitschy galvanized pails, and gave folks at work and in the neighborhood humble looking pots of dirt with an emergent bulb. It’s a disposable gift, that wasn’t awkwardly pricey, the bucket may serve some function, and would brighten up the mood once again upon blooming.
The gifts were received sometimes eagerly, and for those not familiar with amaryllises, a raised eyebrow. In any case, many of the recipients did follow through on watering the bulbs and were greeted with big red flowers.
And then, something happened that I didn’t expect. They sent me pictures. One by one, I received texts with a big, bold flowers, smiling back at me. Thank’s for doubling back with the gift of these images, friends!
