What Unbloomed Flowers Taught Me About Unconditional Love

If you find yourself more agitated, angry, annoyed and just out of the flow, I want to share a quick story about how I shifted my spirits after talking to my plants and caring for roses that failed to bloom.

Last week, I remember being so excited when I bought some inexpensive yellow garden roses from Trader Joe’s. I took several snapshots after carefully arranging them and clipping the stems so they could soak up the fresh water. Aren’t the blooms lovely? Well, a week later, not a single flower bloomed. UGH! I remember looking at them every day and noticing them turning brown at the edges and shriveling up.

Then, I saw this quote that totally changed my perspective.

Dr. Richard Carlson, author of “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” suggests talking to your plant, and caring for it like it was a baby.

He wrote, “Love your plant whether it blooms or not, whether it lives or dies. Notice how you feel when you offer this plant unconditional love.”

I LOVE this idea, which helped me get out of a funk from the past week.

I was immediately filled with gratitude for the flowers that didn’t bloom. I became grateful for:
-being able to buy them, even though they were only a few bucks
-having so much joy when I selected them at TJ’s
-blossoming even more joy when I brought them home and put them in one of my fave vases
-the joy of looking at them every morning for a week.

This made me think about what other parts of my life, from people to situations, I can love unconditionally.

For today, or just for a moment, try shifting your thought, story and vibration. Here’s how I fine-tuned my low energy this morning into a higher frequency:

Take Action

1. When was the last time you felt agitated, angry, annoyed etc.? How did you react? How did that work for you? The next time negative emotions arise, take a breath, notice what you’re feeling and think about unconditional love before reacting. If someone is annoying you, consider what the other person might be going through. Maybe they’re having a bad day?

Bloomed yellow roses
See beauty in unexpected ways.

2. If your flowers don’t bloom or a tree doesn’t yield a bounty of fruit, do they bring you joy in other ways? Even though my yellow roses didn’t bloom, seeing them in my home for a week and feeling the energy from the colors and aliveness brought me an abundance of joy.

3. Share this with someone you love unconditionally and perhaps we can all grow a little and blossom joy.

Be kind to yourself and love yourself unconditionally, too. It’s OK to feel the feels, especially during these trying times.

Much love,
Toan

P.S. Don’t forget to talk to your flowers, friends, family and yourself kindly, too!

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