Recently, I was sitting in the reception area of a group of medical specialists. There was no stock of magazines; perhaps they are too much work to maintain, and most patients have their eyes fixed on their phones – they won’t miss anything.
There were a few beautiful potted orchids on the counter, all very easy to maintain, because the blooms, leaves and roots were as artificial as the pot and the soil that they were set in.
What has happened to that part of our souls that thrived on nurturing growing things?
When did we change to the 'set it and forget it' mode? When did we trade a deep acceptance of birth, growth and death, for man-made things that last almost forever?
There’s a cardiologist who has a few 'set it and forget it' orchids in the reception area. These orchids look too perfect to be real.
There’s another cardiologist who has at least one soul on the premises, who understands all about nurturing orchids, through the cycle of growth, pruning and death.
The orchids there are too real to be perfect. Where would your heart lead you?
The last time I visited, my neighbor had orchids in bloom.
The photograph shows what I found when I walked across with my phone camera.
Is this any less an orchid because blooming season is over? Does this confirm the point I’m making?
Perhaps I’m reading too much into something quite trivial. But then again, it could be that I’m not.
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