Beauty And Hope

There has been so much sadness, anger, and ugliness in the world these days that it's pretty easy to forget how beautiful things are too. I was walking over to my friend's house yesterday, and this stunning rose on Superba stopped me in my tracks. I could smell its heady fragrance before I even saw it, but then, WOW.

Tie-dyed with red and white, it seemed like a perfect symbol of this moment in time. Blood red for all the blood spilled in Florida last Saturday, and white for the hope that I feel that something good can come out of all of this. Like some sanity. We all called Senators and signed petitions and all that yesterday, and it seems like they're finally listening. Senator Chris Murphy stood up for 14 hours yesterday in a filibuster to get the ridiculous Congress to finally have a vote regarding gun control and SOME semblance of sanity in this country. His fortitude is so appreciated, and the result is that there will finally be at least a vote to finally, FINALLY do something about assault weapons in civilian hands. No one is trying to take away all guns - though I wish they were - just to have a sliver of precaution when selling guns. It's ENOUGH already.

I'm so happy that I had this rose come along to force me to remember that no matter how bad things get, there is still beauty, there is still compassion, and there are still some people fighting for what's right. Thank goodness.

May Flowers!

Flowers are busting out all over in Venice, and it is something to behold. Every yard seems to contain its own treasures. The recent rain (still not nearly enough, but we'll take it) greened it all up around here, and life is blooming with a certain natural ecstacy that cannot be contained - even up a telephone pole.

One of my favorite books - and quotes - ever is The Little Prince, when Antoine de Saint-Exupery writes, "If someone loves a flower, of just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars."

Walking around Venice, here on Earth, it is enough to make one happy just to look at the flowers.

May Flowers

Everyone knows you need to stop and smell the roses ... but sometimes life just demands it.

Strolling down Altair the other day, I came upon this arch filling in with gorgeous, fragrant roses. Though pictures rarely suffice, it insisted one be taken.

I was thinking about that, how nice it is that people do things simply because they make things more beautiful in this world, when I walked past Urbanic on Abbot Kinney and they had a card that said, "Stop and smell the roses" in their window. Synchronicity. Pay attention.

Enjoy your own roses you pass by today, and think of me when you take a whiff! Mmmm.


*More synchronicity ... this was today's general horoscope in the L.A. Times:

If you find yourself responding emotionally to the existence of flowers or celebrating the wonder of clouds, you might blame it on the lovely Lady Venus, who yesterday crossed into one of her favorite parts of the sky. Ah, the beauty there is to behold! The world is visual poetry. Give it a soundtrack, and watch it dance!

Yep.

Scratch & Sniff

This yellow rose smells exactly like "Rose" smells in a scratch and sniff book. You can catch a whiff on Cabrillo. Ahhhh.







*image courtesy of Jen E's Blackberry's camera.