Like a Sunflower

My daughter planted a few sunflowers earlier this summer. Living in the high desert climate of Colorado, nothing much grows aside from weeds. (Unless you are a true green thumb.) She was really excited about these flowers, eager to see their sunny blossoms several weeks later.

We've had a few good rainstorms, but the last couple days have been hot and dry. The ambitious leaves of the plant wilted. In fact, just this afternoon, I would have pegged that plant as a goner. It looked so sad and pitiful.

As a last resort, we gave it a long sip of cool water.

Hours later, those stems were stick straight and the leaves all perky! I've never seen anything like that before!

And it made me think of our lives. I don't know about you, but all this hoopla with COVID and masks have wilted me into a pretty serious depression. No, I haven't been officially diagnosed, but let's face it - we have been dealt a new normal. There's no going back. Things have changed.

Thankfully, no one in my immediate circle has had it. I haven't lost anyone close. I know people who have, and for that, I'm so sorry. But I have lost things that kept me going. I've lost my writing. I finished a series, closing out the adventures of a character I loved dearly. His departure from my life has taken a toll on any other stories I planned to write. I've lost theatre. The production company I worked with shut down and has yet to come back. And through that, I've lost community. Rehearsals were a great place to come together with my friends.

As this new normal settles in, I'm grateful to have church. SO grateful to have my family. My job. My house. My faith. All of these things have kept me grounded through the uncertainty.

But imagine what a little water could do. A little bit of hope sure could put some life back into all of us. As theatre returns, I'm clinging to hope. Maybe some of those creative ventures will come back to my life and allow me to blossom once again.

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