Skip to main content

Stop and stare at the crotons

Image
By

It is 147pm. I just woke up from a nap. I had Sunday lunch which was chicken soup. My mobile phone does not have much charge left. I decided to write. What can I write about? I asked my mom what to write about. She said to write about flowers plants. She wants flowers in the yard. Flowers are beautiful. Flowers are attractive. Flowers are calming. Flowers are part of God's creation. I am reminded of the saying that we should stop and smell the roses. We should appreciate the now. Learn from the past, plan for the future but live in the now. I asked my mom why she likes flowers? She says it is therapy for the mind, it helps her to elevate her spirits and it makes the place look beautiful. That is flower power I would say.

My favorite plant is the croton. I love passing through the countryside, especially in Tobago, and seeing the rich croton plants. Crotons are flowers-like I would say. Let us say they are pseudo flowers plants because of the mixture of colors on the leaves that seem to bloom without the blossom. When I attended secondary school we had to bring a plant to school for horticulture class. I brought a croton plant that I walked the length of Frederick street with. Do not ask me why I chose a concrete plant pot to plant this croton in. Do crotons have a smell? Otherwise I could say, stop and smell the crotons. Maybe I could settle for, stop and stare at the crotons.

Life is short. We do not know what tomorrow brings. I pray for a better future but only God knows the full of it. Live in the now and appreciate the now. The energetic sun is peeping through the bedroom curtain. The fan is humming a song of breezes. I plugged my phone in to get more juice. The road is empty of any vehicular noises. I am happy writing in my corner. I am happy that I woke up to see another day. I am happy that I am with God. God gives us enough reasons to love the life we live. Life is not always going to be a bed of roses. Every rose has its thorn but we can always find something to be grateful for. We can always find roses among the bushes to stop and smell the roses.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cup of coffee

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . The cool morning breeze blew the hat off the tourist passing the coffee shop. We sat at the table waiting for our order of coffee and bagels. I had stayed up late writing and was now needing caffeine to stay awake. On entering the veranda of the coffee shop, the sign reads "happiness is a cup of coffee" and "sip your troubles away". This had me thinking about what is happiness? And was the theme of my chat with Chatty as we enjoyed our breakfast in Tobago. I told my friend Chatty that if we could put happiness in a bottle and sell it we would be rich. My friend Chatty then told me that money cannot buy happiness but it was a good idea to make a living. If according to the sign, happiness is a cup of coffee then maybe happiness is coffee in a bottle then. We could call it Caffibean, a taste of the Caribbean in Tobago, a blend of the happiest coffee beans from Tobago. Tobago is not known for its coffee p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sandy beaches

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . This story begins on a cool Friday evening in May. Fridays are the best days. Already a great start. It had rained earlier in the day and the clouds were moving away and the sun peeking through. I walked from the apartment where I was staying to Pigeon Point beach. Along the way I stopped for coconut water freshly extracted from the nut and straight into my mouth leaving traces on my cotton jersey. They say that coconut water is the drink of God—fresh from the nut, sweet with a hint of salt, a liquid reminder that paradise can exist in small and simple things. They did not say that but my friend Chatty did. It is my friend Chatty's first trip to Tobago. I asked him what he thinks of Tobago so far? He grinned, wiping a drop of coconut water from the corner of his mouth. "Man… it is like stepping into a painting. The air, the colors, the way everything smells after the rain—it is unreal. I did not know paradise cam...
Post a Comment
Read more

Under the lights

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . Today we stumbled upon a game of night football at the recreational ground. There was a red card and a penalty. Somehow the striker was able to bend the ball into the corner of the net and with what looked to me like help from a strong breeze. I was a neutral supporter and was just waiting for goals to be scored. Tobago has produced the famous Man United player in Dwight Yorke. My friend Chatty says that there is something special about local football where the breeze, the crowd noise, and pure instinct all become part of the play. Maybe we are here watching the next Dwight Yorke in the making, his story just beginning to unfold under the lights. Maybe the next famous Tobagonian footballer will play for the noisy neighbors of Man City. I spoke to a young lad selling juices from a cooler and he had to agree. He wiped his hands on his shorts and looked out at the pitch with a seriousness beyond his years. The ice clinked in...
Post a Comment
Read more