A Foggy Day…

October 26, 2011 By

Joining with these friends tonight with a bit of free writing – so free that I’m not at all sure where it’s headed. Shall we find out?On In Around button
If I had my druthers, 
THIS is the kind of day I would choose.
Every day. 
365. 
Yes, I am that picky.
And yes, I am that spoiled.
 
But I don’t get my way with the weather.
And I suppose that is a good thing.
We do need rain on occasion,
and rain is actually rather nice.
Refreshing, cozy, turning things green and greener.
I like a bit of drama in the sky at times.
Yes, I do appreciate a good rainstorm.

Blue skies, billowy clouds – great.
Thunder once in a while, sheets of wetness – yes.
But the weather that defeats me,
that visibly lowers my spirits,
that makes me want to crawl under the covers 
and never come out – 
well that’s the kind of weather we’ve had for over a week now:
FOG.
Thick overcast.
Gray skies.
Gloom and darkness.
Blech.
I cannot even put into words what this goop does to my spirit.
I move more slowly.
I smile less.
I have this deep desire to veg.
Completely veg out.
And today, that’s what I did.
Not too proud to say it, either.
Didn’t veg all day – but a good portion of it.
 
I taught a Bible study this morning.
I went to lunch alone at a restaurant where I wanted to get a gift certificate for my son and his wife,
who celebrate 15 years of married life tomorrow.
I bought a couple of orchids at a local warehouse, 
one to give and one to keep.
And then I came home, flopped on the bed
and turned on the Tivo.
 
I cannot remember the last time I did that – 
with nothing else in my hand to do.
Usually, I’m tending a sleeping toddler,
or answering email,
or checking facebook or twitter,
or making a to-do list.
Not today.
Today I watched police procedurals – 
three of them in a row, 
fast-forwarding through the commercials,
sighing loudly from time to time,
glaring at the sky out my bedroom window.
Grrr…
I really don’t like gray skies.
Really. Don’t. Like. Them.

But here’s what kept flitting through my memory as I felt sorry for myself and indulged by laziest desires.
 
When I opened the door to the orchid warehouse today,
I expected to be awestruck by the wild array
of colors and shapes and sizes of plants.
Just as I was the very first time I walked in 
on Ash Wednesday, 2002, after
being marked by the cross at the 
Old Mission in Santa Barbara.
That day, I felt as though I had moved from one sanctuary to another, as I gazed on the brilliance of God’s creative genius and the marvelous ingenuity of the human beings who bred and cross-bred these glorious flowers.
 
What I did not expect today was what hit me 
as the door rolled open:
the heavenly fragrance that filled the entire, cavernous space.
It was simply delicious.
About 90% of the time – orchids have no fragrance.
There is a Miltonia that smells like chocolate.
But this was sweet, flowery, refreshing and beckoning.
Immediately I asked the clerk where to find them,
picked up two of the chartreuse and lavendar Zygopetalum 
 and packed them into my car.
I deliberately bought ones with buds rather than full flowers, 
 so the fragrance is yet to come here at home.
But when it does, I will remember the
leap my heart took as I inhaled.
At that moment, the greyness of the day did not matter.
Not one bit.
Surprised by grace – through my nose!
Wish I could tell you that it cured my serious case of the blahs – but alas, it did not.
Writing this down, however, has helped a whole heckuva lot.

 

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Comments

  1. Carol J. Garvin says
    October 27, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    I haven’t had much exposure to orchids, but didn’t realize there were varieties with such a strong fragrance. What a lovely surprise to brighten your day.

    We don’t often encounter the persistently thick kind of fog here. The swirling mists of autumn are an early morning affair that usually burn off mid-morning, and I don’t mind that. It’s more mysterious than gloomy. But I wouldn’t like to be immersed in fog day in and day out. It has an isolating effect. Sounds like a good time to plan a social gathering and push the blahs into the background. 🙂

  2. Laura says
    October 31, 2011 at 12:25 am

    I am with you on the gray days, Diana. And this darkness! These mornings are pulling me down. But I love how the story ends. I do believe that orchids are the most beautiful of all flowers. such delicacy. I don’t know much about them, but I do know that I haven’t smelled much scent, as you mention. Can’t imagine what a gift that was to let heaven fill you with it’s aroma.

    The dark days are necessary, I know. Roots being nourished and all that. We’ll have to get through them together.