In my ignorance, I navigated through my life with little thought to the world outside my bubble that my daily routine had created. Sometimes life gets so busy you get so focused on the admittedly important things in life; like raising your children, creating a warm and comfortable home, etc… And out of nowhere something comes into your bubble and bursts it with some new knowledge that expands your interests and makes you realize that there is more to life than your little world. That there is an abundance of experiences to explore and learn from and as that happens - your world view expands.
Such was my blissful ignorance in 1990. Little did I know what passionate romance I was about to embark upon.
My widowed father had a new girlfriend. She was a nurse and well read and educated. She had lots of interests and one day invited me to go with her to Mclellan Farms, an orchid specialty farm, lab and showroom/store. I thought it might be interesting. So I agreed to go along.
It was a new world. The precision and effort they put into creating the perfect orchid were astonishing. Petri dishes that are set on ever-rotating clamps, ensuring perfectly round seeds, cloning prize-winning orchids so that you can take a baby clone home and know exactly what you are going to get.
There was such a variety of blossoms I had never seen before. The variety, beauty, and perfume were overwhelming. I remember walking through the warehouse-sized store and feeling lightheaded, in a type of daze that was confusing, but marvelously pleasant. Each new vision drew me in with its beauty. They beckoned me, “take me home…” and I felt tortured in trying to decide on the veining I prefer, the shades I preferred and the shape of the blossom I preferred. On an on, I went on my adventure to find my perfect match.
Oh, the smiling faces of the phalaenopsis, slightly bent down in shyness, but not so low that I could not see their beautiful countenances. Then there were the oncidiums, fluttering radiant insects beckoning for attention. The cattleyas, with their promising feminine ruffles. The dramatic and unusual miltonias and the paphiopedilums with their full large gullets that reminded me of pelicans
Finally, I came across the cymbidiums. A sea of them along the floor. Their relatively subtle colors were a salve to my dizzying eyes. Their elegant proportions and swoon-worthy scent pulled at my heartstrings. They seduced me to take one of them home. An hour later, I had chosen my beloved.
He was the best of lovers: entertaining me and pleasing me every day. He greeted me each morning with his handsome face and proverbial smile. He reminded me of his love with his perfume that filled the room. It made me turn toward him throughout the day and smile at how happy he made me feel. This affair went on for weeks as his buds blossomed and filled the room with joy.
This blissful romance started to fade as his blossoms withered and fell away. With trepidation, I cut his stems in half, as I was instructed by our matchmaker. I felt as if I was betraying him. With time he was moved to the far end of the room where his bare stems and thick tongue-like leaves sat out of the way. Soon he was gone from my mind as the daily grind of life took over.
But he was far more loyal than me. After several months a scent began to fill the room. I looked up in surprise and spied the corner to which I had banished my faded lover. There he was, rejuvenated. He seemed even younger than when we met. He was again filling the room with his power and my heart melted again.
Such was the tenor of our relationship for a while…
To this day, each time I walk out of Whole Foods or into Trader Joe's, I am reminded of my beloved. As the orchids beckon to be taken home and smile with their beautiful faces, I look at them and their voices begin to fade as the memories of my old love come to the fore. His memory has faded, the lines of his beautiful form and the effect of his scent, but I never forget how special his presence made me feel.