I’ve always been a fan of the Hans Christian Anderson quote from The Butterfly that reads, “Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” It comes to mind these days when our three-year-old wants to begin each morning “looking at plants” with Daddy. It has become something of a ritual for her, and goodness forbid he leave for work before she wakes up.
Trying to convince her that we could still have a nice morning earlier this week, even though Daddy was already at work, I asked whether she might like to go look at plants. “With you?” she replied, clearly not interested in pursuing this activity with anyone else but her father.
To be fair, he planted what’s out there and can provide ample information about what is growing and how, but I suspect that the real draw, at least in part, is being carried around the yard—a cuddle and some fresh air to get the day started properly.
Still, there is something to be said for opening the day with sunshine and a little flower. I often begin my day checking the news or the weather on my phone, but it seems a better choice to go straight outside and see how the tomatoes are growing or the flowers are faring, glance at the sky and feel the rain or the sunshine on your skin. Surely those are sufficient forms of news and weather, at least for early in the morning.
And really, those are the things I like best about camping, the insects’ chirping at day’s end and birdsong at daybreak. Ideally, a walk to start the day would probably be best, but I readily acknowledge how difficult it is for many people, myself included, to do this. There are children, jobs, commutes, perhaps location, to take into consideration. Maybe it’s enough, then, to take a short stroll around the yard to tune into the world beyond myself. Maybe sunshine and a little flower are found along the path to freedom in the midst of the actual news and weather of the rest of the day. Maybe I’ll give it a try.
