On a whim, I bought my dentist a Gerbera Daisy from a flower stand near the medical office. It was a simple and inexpensive way to for me to express my gratitude that I have a dentist who is cheerful and oh-so-positive. I loved her glee at my simple gift: "Oooh! Look at that gorgeous orange!" We giggled and gossiped. And as always, I marveled at how upbeat she is.
When I was leaving the office after my cleaning, I followed another whim and bought myself one of those beautiful orange Gerbera Daisies. I kept smiling all the way to the underground train station, thinking about how lovely that long-stemmed flower was. Thinking that I just bought myself a lot of joy for $2.
On the final leg of my journey home, I stopped at a corner grocery stand to buy an avocado for my lunch sandwich. The woman at the counter smiled broadly at me and said, "What a beautiful sunflower!" She was small and stout and had a lot of life in her face. She looked tired. But maybe I was projecting.
"Isn't it?" I said, beaming at my flower — and then looking up to smile at the clerk. I was excited to get home to enjoy my clean teeth, fresh avocado, and this orange, whimsical flower.
I paid for my avocado and started to walk away. Then I turned, surprising myself, and handed the flower to the woman at the register. "It's for you," I said. I smiled and walked out the door.
I was beaming all the way home. I had been so happy with my flower. But I was even happier without it.
Amazing what a couple bucks can buy.