Persistent Pansies

My containers filled with pansies are teaching me a lesson about persistence this spring. Like so many things in life, they started healthy and full of promise. I remember when we planted them last fall when there was a nip in the air and the days were getting shorter. Since those hardy plants are known for being tough, I just knew we would be rewarded with purple, yellow, and blue flowers all winter long. I didn't count on the Polar Vortex and nights of single digit temperatures, followed by inches of snow and ice. My frozen and battered flowers stayed hunkered down in their containers and produced only a few pitiful small blossoms. 

“Those early bloomers look dead,” I told my late bloomer husband. I just knew we would have to dig up the plants and redo the flower containers if we hoped for any spring color. My pansies had other ideas and must have adopted the motto: “Hope spring eternal in the human breast.” (Alexander Pope–An Essay on Man)  As soon as the first few days of 60 degree sunshine warmed those hibernating plants, they raised their heads and started to grow again. Now I am awarded with an abundance of colorful flowers with happy faces that provide color and joy to my front porch and back deck.

 

The persistence of my pansies is not just about the flowers, but a picture of life. Our days start out so full of hope and promise, but seem to be sabotaged by difficulties and challenges that knock us down for a while. Broken relationships, chronic illnesses, job loss, financial difficulties, prodigal children, and family deaths intrude and we find it difficult to raise our heads and bloom.

The expectation of our time is for a quick and easy fix to our latest dilemma. Chris Tiegreen in one of his devotional books wrote that we live in a “microwave world.”  Today we could add we live in a “Google world” that provides us fast answers to everything.  (Did you know the Internet celebrated its 25^th anniversary this week? How did we ever live without it?)  The challenge of our day is to learn persistence and perseverance in the midst of difficulties with no fast fix.  The Bible admonishes us in Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Good advice for me to follow and share with my fellow readers. 

I really like the way comedian Jim Carrey put it:,“Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.”

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Albert Einstein once said: “The same thinking that has led you to where you are is not going to lead you to where you want to go.” He was a brilliant man who was never satisfied with the scientific status quo. His original thinking enabled him to discover the Theory of Relativity. 

For some reason, his quote strikes a chord with me. It challenges me to step out of my comfort zone and ask myself some questions. What is my present way of thinking–stick with the status quo, don’t rock the boat, remain in my comfort zone. What should be my new way of thinking–challenge the status quo, shake things up, stay open to new ideas. The first way of thinking is very comfortable and the second quite scary. 

A recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lifestyle section, tells about a retirement community that is teaching its 80 and 90 year old residents how to use computers. A 71 year old man teaches the students how to use email and Google for information. A group of retirees called the “Geezer Squad” provides in-between class support. I predict those folks will remain mentally sharp for a long time to come. 

For me, becoming proficient with Social Media requires a whole new way of thinking. I much prefer talking with folks or writing letters and emails. But I have to think differently to learn the social media language, connect with family and friends, and increase my visibility as an author and blogger. I’ve become familiar enough with Facebook to read and “Like.” I recently joined LinkedIn and several writing groups that I am navigating by trial and error. I have several requests to “Tweet” and join Twitter, so that it next on my list. To “Pin” or not to “Pin” is another issue to resolve. When am I going to have time to write?

We can’t be an influence on the younger generation unless we learn to speak their language, and dare I say, “Like” their music – at least some of it!!  Jesus challenged his followers to think in a new way and not be bound by the legalism of the past. For all of us, a new way of thinking is the key to a happier life.