I pulled out my small sketchbook this morning as I was captivated by this droopy bloom which is part of a glorious bouquet of lilies my daughter sent me for my birthday. I left the busted stem in the arrangement (as opposed to removing it to a smaller bud vase) as I kind of liked it. The flowers came mostly in lily bud-pods, and have opened up with wonderfully gaudy fall-color amazingness and I realized today that the bent stem’s bud actually opened up fully, even in its injured state. I am impressed — such stamen-a! (Sorry.) Anyways, I am moved by this vibrant, pumpkin-colored bloom that became its full, beautiful self even when broken. The correlations are obvious, as I came from such a mangled family, so this was fun to notice and appreciate. Limitations? Yes, and so what? We can always find a way to be our most elegant selves.

fountain pen, watercolor in small sketchbook