I love seeing sunflowers; they make me happy. This is not a sunflower. Technically, it is a sunflower because it’s in the sunflower family, but its official name is a Black-Eyed Susan. I named this picture sunflower because at first glance, that’s what I thought it was. I’ve never been good at remembering the correct names of flowers, so I call any flower with yellow leaves and a round middle a sunflower.
This picture was taken on a sunny day, early in the morning. I remember I wasn’t in a happy mood when this picture was taken. I was walking around trying to not think about what had me feeling irritated, and I spotted this beauty and her siblings near a ditch. I instantly smiled.
Sunflowers remind me of elderly women. When I see elderly women, I’m naturally inclined to smile at them and offer my assistance if necessary. I guess being around my grandma, great-grandma, and aunts made me this way. When I walked by these flowers, I felt like I was in the presence of elderly women, so I needed to fix my face. I didn’t wanna look mad or sad in front of them.
I’ve always been drawn to nature. I’d love to know the origin behind my connection with nature or know why I love nature so much. When I was younger, I tried to brush off my connection with nature as just my childhood imagination. I soon realized this connection was more than my imagination. Nature talks to me. Being in nature always improves my mood and gives me feelings of peace.
Rather than searching for answers about my love of nature, right now I’m cool with spending time with God in nature, hearing God through nature, and learning more about myself while being mindful in nature. So, when I saw this sunny flower reflecting so beautifully in the sunlight, I was simply reminded to just smile, and be happy.
Life Lesson:
· Smile, be happy.
How I Apply it to My Life:
· I love smiling. I smile, a lot.
Song:
· Kirk Franklin – I Smile
SLIDESHOW: Me smiling; being happy.