There’s something about receiving fresh flowers that just makes everything better. From the moment that the door rings and a parcel arrives from someone unknown and you get a frivolous shiver, from feeling loved and wanted as you read the card, and throughout the following days and weeks when the scent wafts to your nose and your eyes are thrilled by the wonder and beauty of nature. Seeing flowers always lifts the spirit, and even more so when the day starts off with them.
There’s a whole language and meaning to the practice of giving flowers, as Vanessa Diffenbaugh explored in her wonderful novel. Or Caitlin Moran said in an open letter to young girls in her column for The Times, ‘Buy flowers …blossom – and put them at the end of the bed. When you wake, look at it, and tell yourself you are the kind of person who wakes up and sees flowers. This stops your first thought being, “I fear today. Today is the day maybe I cannot survive anymore,” which I know is what you would otherwise think. Thinking about blossom before you think about terror is what girls must always do. Various studies show the health benefits of flowers, from the anxiety soothing fragrances, make you feel more positive about your home and space, encourage connection with nature and boost self-compassion.
The big bunch of oriental pink lilies, charming roses, lush green leaves, all dusky pinks, simmering amaranth and rich cerise, that sits at my desk right now makes me feel happy and alive. But it’s not just young girls who need this lift. It’s not just girls who need blossom in their lives. So this spring share flowers with your mum, celebrate a birthday, or just say thank you. I’m also a big believer in treating yourself, just because. The simple things can be the most magical.
And So She Thinks 