Lilac bushes line one full side of the yard where I now live. Lilac bushes, some of which are now in full bloom, some of which still have to bloom.
The scent of them, when I step into either the front or back yard, is overwhelmingly pleasant. It washes over me, drifts upon the air, as I stand on the deck. It’s a timeless scent. It speaks of Spring, of Youth, of Promise, of…Potential.
I doubt there is any other scent that I can attribute so much to. And it’s so fleeting. For approximately one month, lilacs flood the senses with a heady scent you simply can’t recreate, no matter the bottled, fabricated products available. The real thing is impossible to duplicate completely.
When I was younger, I did what many others did, and do: I removed branches bearing these lovely flowers, and placed them in vases, so I could enjoy them within my own home. But they don’t last long. And there’s nothing sadder than the sight of lilac flowers wilting, or wilted, in a jar of water, sitting on a table top, that you thoughtlessly removed for your own private enjoyment.
I get things now, that I didn’t when I was younger. I get that enjoyment of a thing should be something that is enjoyed where, and when, and while it is. I get that life is short, and this world and life is changeable, and that the enjoyment of both should occur without removing something, but rather, by adding to it. You get out of life what you put into it. If you put nothing into your life, or your world, your enjoyment of it is exactly that. Nothing.
I am in a position currently where even the smallest things grant me huge enjoyment. I am in a position to understand that what I put into this life, this world, garners me huge rewards. I do not take these rewards lightly. I treasure them, and view them with awe and the utmost respect.
I am in a position to be rewarded for all I have done, for all I have paid attention to, for all that I cared enough about to make an effort to ensure it’s continuity.
This I have done.
Try to do the same.
