Confessions From Your Flower Lady
by Sharon Kidder
It’s hard for me to believe that I enjoy working at my desk each day. In fact, I used to go to extremes to avoid having to use it. A favorite ploy was to take writing projects outside- the view of the blue sky (or even clouds) being far more inspirational than the view from my desk.
This was, until, quite by chance, I happened to plunk a bouquet of sweet peas in tones of soft peach, pinks, and lavenders on my desk. The fragrance was intoxicating for the first while and the intricacy of the blossoms kept bringing me back to write the notes I’d been putting off and the proposals I needed to develop. The next thing I knew, I was vying for my desk with others who suddenly decided that they needed to “use my desk for a minute.”
In the intervening months I have observed that the better my desk looks and the more I love the flowers on it, the more I enjoy using my desk. (And the more I have to fend off others from using it.)
All of us respond to flower colors in ways that are unique and almost palpable. Vibrantly colored flowers often work a lot like hot cooking spices: they need to be mixed in with a lot of other less vivid flowers – a little bit going a very long way…
Even though I enjoy brighter colors in other work and living spaces, I find that I appreciate all white or pastel and white arrangements on my desk. Changing the water every day, giving the flowers a good misting, and only using spotlessly clean containers extends the “life” of the bouquet!
One thing for me is certain, my desk has become my “stress reduction center” instead of a place to avoid. Feeling great and being productive have a lot to do with what’s in the line of sight… what I once dreaded has become something that I look forward to doing. What an incredible difference something so simple has made in my experience.
