Day 299 Last Fling

October 4, 2015

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)

In the midst of cooling temperatures and changing seasons, the flowers in the planter outside my front door have decided to have one last fling at blooming. Gardenias were just a little ahead of marigolds crowning a whimsical unicorn’s head, a gift from many years ago. I appreciate these late bloomers as they add color to the gray day even though the weather is beyond their comfort zone. 

I suppose I am a late bloomer too. As a child, I was very shy. Although I still lean toward the introvert spectrum, many people who know me today do not see me as an introvert. Only later in my life have I been able to begin conversations with strangers. Perhaps my husband David’s style has been a good model for me. I also switched careers several times and earned my doctorate when I was 60. All those times, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. 

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~  Anaïs Nin

When I researched other people who were late bloomers, I was reminded of these people: Grandma Moses never painted until she was 78; Norman Maclean published his first novel, “A River Runs Through It,” at age 74; Julia Child made her television debut at 50; Peter Roget didn’t start working on his thesaurus until he was 61; Frank McCourt wrote his first novel and won the Pulitzer Prize with “Angela’s Ashes” at age 66.

I guess I still have time to learn a new language.

My gift today is late bloomers.

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You can find links to my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html