A Colorful Bouquet of Straws

Spring announced itself earlier in the week marking for me a reminder of the cycle of life. In the cycle, this season represents newness, and there is evidence of it all around us. The new growth of plants and bursts of flowers bring with it beauty and energizes the days with all of this expression of new life. Any new beginning brings with it an ending. These markers create opportunity to look back and reflect on our experiences of the passing time.

The reminder of impermanence had been resonating in my thoughts as I found myself saying goodbye to yesterday. I heard my mind wondering, “Where does my past say I'm headed?” as I contemplated similar thoughts - such as a family member dealing with life issues that come with old age, an article on a local man who committed suicide, and another on wounded Afghanistan veterans, and on, and on. The changes that come between endings and beginnings were everywhere. These existential uncertainties lie heavy, threatening to outshine the rays of hopefulness and promise we tend to connect with newness.

For me, promise came once again last evening, on the elevator, with my husband and a neighbor. Our neighbor was standing with his work bag slung over his shoulder and a large handful of wrapped colorful drinking straws. As we chatted, he explained that his young son was planning on using them for a project. Hearing the father chuckle about the unknown of the upcoming straw project filled the small space with the simple joy of being a child; a time when a handful of straws had all the potential in the world. It was one of those gratifying moments where you are swept up in the emotion of shared human experience.

As the elevator opened we wished him well on the project. He went in one direction, my husband and I the other. As we paused in front of our door, I noted, “That’s sweet that he’s kept them out in his hand so that his son sees the straw bouquet as soon as his dad opens the door.” It was a warming thought to imagine the little boy’s thrill and a father’s happiness fueled by his child’s excitement. A small moment, a new project, anticipation in the air, it seems that spring has finally arrived in a colorful bouquet of straws.