Not All Tulips Are Red

Some of the loveliest are in delicate shades of white and cream, and they never fail to hold out surprises when one takes a closer look.  For the most part, the whites and creams are pure golden at heart rather than black and gold, and so they seem to be lit from within and giving off light like little garden lighthouses.

I was surprised yesterday to discover that these lovely whites were playing residence and smorgasbord to a whole tribe of tiny pollinating beings who wandered happily about dusted with pollen and delighted with the banquet goodies on offer.

On my knees in the grass in the hedgerow gazing at these unfettered and gently blowing escapees, I thought of something Georgia O'Keeffe said - she painted magnificent springtime blooms and often titled them simply as numbered abstractions for the flowing abstract contours at their hearts - she once mused aloud:

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment.  I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower." 
Georgia O’Keeffe, Travels With Maggie

The whites are a powerful reminder to be mindful and rest "in the moment", to pay attention and take a long slow closer look at the minute aspects of the grace filled world that is going quietly on around us.