TAP 68/70-Memories, Quince, Shears
In the past, I have written a lot for you, and I have written a lot for me…it served us both then, and it will continue to serve us both later. Do you ever give someone sage advice, only to realize it not only benefited them, but it served you well too? This memory is not just a reminder of Spring renewal, it is a reminder for our soul, individually, and collectively.
This is a photo of my old quince in bud/bloom. I lived at my old house for a couple of years with this green bush in my backyard, never knowing what kind it was, until one Spring, it magically bloomed. To my delighted surprise, it was not only beautiful with it’s hot pink petals and yellow center, but it was fragrant and smelled delightful too. I was in complete awe of this bush, and how it’s dormancy must have lead to the explosion of color, smell and proliferation of blooms. I looked up what this bloom was immediately, and was intrigued when it came up as a Japanese Quince. Needless to say, I had never seen one before, but I am always so happy when I see them now.
This bush reminded me that we may look dormant, boring, or bland on the surface, but with a little bit of care, we may become a show stopper. Truly, the bush kept growing, and I had no choice but to prune it back the year before, it was impeding my mowing after all! I often wonder if the previous owner had overpruned it, making it go dormant and not produce…and when I say produce, it did!
In the late summer, of that same year, of bloom explosion, the quince bush also produces fruit! Quince fruit! You can eat the fruit products in jams, jellies and other ways, but fruit y’all, it made fruit!!! And not small fruit, rather large for the quince. Honestly, that was the bush’s best year when I lived there, although it did bloom and fruit the rest of the time I owned the property. I regret not taking a start of that bush with me.
Why are we talking about the quince bush today? Because we are like that bush. Sometimes we go dormant to conserve our resources, sometimes we are exhausted way beyond our normal recovery, but if we are given time, love and care, we may just erupt in to a version of our best selves. Are you in need of some dormant time, or a little love and care?
People, sometimes we just need to drop the shears! More on that thought tomorrow!
The Photographist Life 