Blooms and Blinders

196 - the number of simultaneous blooms on my Easter lilies these past few weeks - a veritable platoon of white trumpets atop green stalks.

17 - the number of days those blooms lasted. And for those seventeen days, the backyard was rich with fragrant smells, each breeze carrying a fresh blast nearly sweet enough to make my teeth hurt.

348 - the number of days of forlorn I have to endure until the lilies bloom again.

It occurs to me it is all to easy to look at life in general as I have described the lily cycle. Weeks, even months, of routine punctuated by brief periods of special reward. That reward could be a vacation to a favorite place, a visit from a special relative, a day at a spa - or the blooming of a favorite flower.

So often we are so busy anticipating precious moments that we forget to bask in spontaneous gifts - a star-filled sky, a cooling evening breeze, a particularly well cooked meal.

In truth, if you think about it, life offers just as many precious moments as it does days of routine. The trick is to prevent routine from becoming a blinder.

With that in mind, I will move past the forlorn I feel at the falling of the lily blooms and turn my attention to the gladiolas that are just beginning to break out in flower.