- A lesson learned from my Mother
“….TRAILER HAS OVERTURNED AT THE MAIN ST. ON RAMP
TO INTERSTATE TEN…OUR NEWS TEN TRAFFIC CAM SHOWS WHAT LOOKS LIKE
A RIVER OF GASOLINE FLOWING ACROSS THE FREEWAY…HAZMAT TEAMS ARE
ON THE SCENE, BUT CLEAN-UP IS EXPECTED TO TAKE AT LEAST FOUR HOURS…TRAFFIC
IS BACKED UP ALL THE WAY TO…”
Turn the alarm off.
Turn the coffee on.
Turn the shower on. Start the brain.
Turn the toothbrush on. Turn the toothbrush off.
Turn the shower off. Drink some coffee. Wake up the kids.
Dress the kids. Turn on the toaster. Feed the dog. Drink more coffee.
Feed the kids.
Get all the kids in the car. Start the car, traffic, noise, radio, schools,
work.
Get to work. Drink more coffee. Computers, bills, taxes, traffic, accidents,
doctors, bills, TV, radio, traffic, traffic, traffic, on, off, on, off,
on, off, cleaning, washing, crying, screaming, school, traffic, bills…
AAAARRGHHHH!! Brake! Almost
hit the car in front.
The last straw: On the way to pick up the kids from school and take them
to karate class a commercial on the radio caught my ear,
“Flowers die”, the folks selling teddy bears remind us, “so
buy your loved one a keepsake that will be treasured...” I detest
the word “keepsake”. It is right up there with “style”,
as in Italian-style parmaggiano, that is, in fact, from some factory in
New York.
It’s a fact, flowers die.
But everything we really value in our lives will die: Our mothers and
fathers, our brothers and sisters, our husbands and wives, our children,
our spiritual leaders, our champions and our pets.
Do we focus upon their ultimate demise, and inform the world that it would
be better to get a human-style keepsake?
Do we avoid falling in love with someone because that person will die?
Do we refuse to have children because they will ultimately perish?
NO, no and no!
Rather, we cherish their lives, experience the thrill of rapture, enjoy
the warmth of intimacy, bask in the glow of companionship and learn from
our children more than we could ever teach them.
The tsunami of minutiae that threatens to overwhelm us every day, combined
with the media bombardment that streams cable, computer and satellite
saturation 24/7, more often than not obliterates most of these feelings
from our lives, and obscures what is truly important.
“Consider the lilies of the field, they spin not, nor do they toil.”
Jesus observed, when alluding as to how man should approach life.
Simply put, just “being” is beautiful. Flowers remind us to
be still, to be calm and enjoy what is.
So the next time someone suggests that flowers are a waste of money because
they always die, remind them that it is the life and beauty of the flower
that we celebrate, and that by association we exalt in the gift of our
own short lives.
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To See Accompanying Image
As this Mothers’ day approaches, I can hear clearly in my mind’s
eye, my mother’s firm opinions about flowers, and one admonition
in particular. My mother died one week before Mothers’ Day in 2003.
She loved her little garden in Edinburgh, Scotland, and looked forward
to each bloom as the seasons came and went. From the first golden crocus
that broke free from winter’s clutches to the fading bronze hydrangea
that glowed in the last of autumn’s afternoon sunsets, she treasured
each one. Even in the darkest depths of winter, there were the “poor,
little birds” to feed, and in the living room hyacinths and daffodils
would be forced on the windowsill. My mother particularly loved fresh
flowers. She maintained a conviction that Mothers’ Day, while in
and of itself a worthy holiday, was totally inadequate in it’s frequency,
and that a mother could expect observance of an occasion equal in merit
at least once a week I shall never forget her remonstrations should I
ever possess the poor judgment to darken her doorstep without an armful
of fresh, cut-flowers.
“Don’t be sending me flowers when I am dead”, she would
utter in her border Scots accent mixed with a tone that verged on a pagan
curse. By way of explanation she would add, with an appropriate measure
of maternal wisdom, some drops of kindness and a pinch of remorse, “Remember,
flowers are for the living!”
Flowers are priceless, not because of their exquisite beauty, but because
they are an expression of the most wonderful moment in our life: Now!
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To See Accompanying Image
Flowers bring serenity to the moment, beauty into our lives, nature into
our homes and remind us to celebrate life. That is the point of the story.
The lesson that may be learned is that we should leverage these unique
attributes for all that they are worth. Self-help, spirituality, religion,
feng-shui, yoga, exercise regimens, spa treatments and aromatherapy are
all areas that focus on improving the quality of life. Across the United
States they are burgeoning in popularity and in turn are generating substantial
revenues.
If you are wondering how a flower shop may be considered in the same context
as a spa center, then consider the powerful precedent we already have
within our industry. Most florists today have an area of the shop dedicated
to wedding consultations. Many have rooms for this purpose, specifically
designed and decorated to reinforce the notions of romance, beauty, intimacy
and the emotional nature of this important event. This is done in order
create an ambience that predisposes the client to be open, relaxed and
ready to consider any and all the options available. It is the almost
theatrical nature of the setting that subsequently allows the florist
to then fully engage the client, who is now completely open and receptive,
and conjure up a poetic vision of the perfect day. Obviously the more
articulate and magical that the aura created is leads to a reciprocal
increase in items ordered, a corresponding rise in revenues and an opportunity
to maximize profit.
Imagine, however, if we took this marketing tool and redeployed it into
other areas of the shop in order to increase daily sales of flowers.
• Flower shops can become oases of tranquility that renew the customer
with a sense of well-being, that instill an appreciation of nature and
offer an escape from a life regulated by the click and the clock. They
can be destinations that are visited at least once a week for a session
of “floratherapy”.
• The care of flowers can be presented like a Japanese tea ceremony,
imbued with calm, an opportunity for contemplation.
• Rather than flowers being treated as a commodity, as an afterthought
in the produce department, their beauty and serenity ought to be presented
as essential ingredients of a balanced life-style.
• As a therapist, the florist can “prescribe” flowers;
perhaps to maintain harmony and balance; maybe to improve feng-shui; to
add water and earth where there is fire and air; or simply to be enjoyed
in the moment.
• The modern florist, or “florapist”, must be committed
to the edification and instruction of the client, and must demonstrate
why flowers are such a vital component of contemporary living.
These are but a few ideas, and clearly there are numerous concepts and
strategies that can be employed. The time has come, however, when an elevated
experience that the customer feels is rewarding and enriching must be
provided. If done successfully then market-share may not only be recovered
from the supermarkets but even increased, and an entirely new consumer
category created.
We must market our products to the new life-style demands, to the new
age culture and to the new millennium.
We must reinvent the way flowers are perceived, and particularly demonstrate
how we, as humans, gravitate to positive elements in our immediate environment.
We must change our thinking. Now!
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