Word Play

Another not poetic entry because I couldn’t help noting what I heard in the parking lot of the school tonight on my way out. There must be a community band that rehearses at the school on Monday nights because about 30 gray hairs flooded the back parking lot at about the same time as I was saying goodbye to Jay Lee and friends. As I approached my car, I overheard a man behind me say, rather matter-of-factly, that “the flower is determined a year before it blooms.” “Goodness,” I thought, “is he speaking in metaphors?” And then it got me thinking. I know, scary, isn’t it? Anyway, I hope he is wrong. Actually, I hope he is right for the most part, but in the case of my students and even my own daughter, I hope he is mostly wrong. If my daughter had been pre-determined by the events of her past, oh, how cruel the world would be. If my student did not grow beyond what they learned last year, what value could I ever hope to add? Blossoms can be beautiful things, so turning out beautifully when that is what is expected of one seems to not be much of a stretch. On the other hand, if the possibilities are endless, than the best craft has yet to happen.
I know that’s true for Breanna, and promising youth I know. So, while the blossom may have possibilities, we should forever tend the gardens to keep those possibilities wide open.