The Bouquet of Flowers
Overpriced Cliche or Classic Romantic Gesture?
I can hear various theme songs running through my mind as I consider the importance or nonimportance of a bouquet of flowers. Songs like "You Don't Bring me Flowers" where Neil Diamond and Barbra Striesand sing about a once passionate romance dead like flowers a week after they are delivered. Or the song "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus (which won a Grammy) which had me feeling empowered, listening in my car instead of embracing the depression that follows loneliness or rejection. Or even the song by Bruno Mars "When I Was Your Man" where he admits that he should have bought his ex flowers instead of living an episode of "Turn of the Screw". Maybe if his English teacher had introduced him to Henry James, Bruno wouldn't have sung about his regrets. I'm sure there are lots of songs that mention flowers or the bouquet and the image is embedded in our minds as a classic gesture of romance, and even used as a sign of love and compassion during difficult times such as illness and/or the death of a loved one. Is it strange that flowers are often a big part of both weddings and funerals? Is the bouquet of flowers just an overpriced cliche or do we still consider it the classic romantic gesture?
When I was married, my husband brought me many bouquets, mostly roses which I enjoyed because of their intoxicating fragrance. Sometimes I wondered if he brought me the bouquets as an apology for being a workaholic and not having much time to spend with me. Perhaps. Or maybe we were still in the honeymoon phase of being happily in love and he didn't think mushy cards and bouquets were corny. Maybe he knew that they made me happy. Maybe he liked the way I felt proud to receive them. I'm not sure because that was a long, long time ago and I haven't seen those kinds of cheesy romantic gestures in recent times.
Do we, as women, say things like "I can buy myself flowers" or "Flowers are a waste of money" simply because we are not the recipient of a lovely bouquet? Would we still say that if we were receiving a beautiful bouquet?
It's really not about the money when it comes to romance. Its about the thoughtfulness and the effort. In the film "Sense and Sensibility" Marianne (played by Kate Winslet) tells her sisters and suitors that she prefers the wildflowers handpicked over the expensive bouquet. For me, I have no preference. Both bouquets are equally romantic in my mind.
It's kind of like when a woman decides to show a man love with a romantic gesture besides sex. She might take him out to dinner and pay (the way that men traditionally do on a date) or she might invite him over for a home-cooked meal. Does it really matter who cooked or where they eat as long as the thought was in it and he enjoyed a good meal? Does it really matter if the woman gets a $100 bouquet of perfect roses or a handful of wildflowers picked with the same sentiment?
As I watch reruns of Sex and the City and see how the middle aged women deal with single life in the big city I am reminded of my age and location. I am 53 and it's brutal. I'm not considered young, middle aged, or old. I'm in some kind of limbo age where all doors seem closed to me: No romance or job opportunities. What am I supposed to do with myself?
I guess I'll just enjoy the free bouquet of flowers that I received from the church and enjoy another rerun episode while I sit on the couch with my cat.
About the Creator
Shanon Angermeyer Norman
Gold, Published Poet at allpoetry.com since 2010. USF Grad, Class 2001.
Currently focusing here in VIVA and Challenges having been ECLECTIC in various communities. Upcoming explorations: ART, BOOK CLUB, FILTHY, PHOTOGRAPHY, and HORROR.
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Teacher Lesson Plan 2: Creativity and Evolution
Reading books and watching documentaries is the typical and classical approach to education in regular school houses or institutions; However, some of the Montessori philosophies and principles can be applied to Secondary Education levels without too much disruption to the "normal" sit down and don't cause chaos idea. Regardless if you are in a classroom with children or pre-teens, or if you're trying to see if Geometry can compete with Instagram or some teenager's raging hormones, you should remember this: Students love learning and enjoy learning when it is FUN. Some of the smartest students in the classroom may not participate or engage in lessons because they either already know the information or it simply doesn't challenge them enough to be interesting or worthy of their attention. FUN defies those factors. When a lesson or activity is FUN, the students don't mind if they already know, and they forget they weren't interested because FUN made it interesting. Not all teachers are FUN. As a matter of fact, most of the teachers I had the pleasure of learning from had a serious lack of humor. I think before I graduated, most of the teachers I learned from had to take a class in "How Not to Be Fun" and they all aced it.
By Shanon Angermeyer NormanExclusive • 3 months ago
Comments (7)
well done
This comes across as sincere, well-written, and relatable. Congratulations on TS!
Back to say congratulations 🎉.
Congratulations on your top story. I enjoyed reading it.
Enjoyed it. Is it the your real name in the profile? Lengthyyy 😁.
I've heard a bit about the job market around your age when I did an interview with a friend, Lorianne Vaughan-Speaks (that is her actually name). It's really a tragedy in my opinion, especially in our world where we are quickly seeing why "Wisdom" is more important than "Knowledge". As you speak about Flowers, I also think about Religion and their significance there, with "Our Lady of Guadalupe" being one of the top of my mind. Over time and cultures, we have really put a lot of meaning into Flowers.
Fresh flowers ALWAYS lighten my mood. I try to keep them in my house. Of course, it's much lovelier if they're a gift, but I'm the one who usually buys them whenever I'm at the grocery store. :)