Hibiscus Beauty
I was out grocery shopping today at my local Trader Joe’s.
As usual, the parking lot was crowded and the adjacent strip stores were also
busy. As I approached my car, I noticed a hibiscus bush in full bloom alongside
the parked cars. The brilliant white flowers were big and exuberant, stretching
out past the bumpers, waving to the cars coming up the drive to the stores,
almost defying the stop sign by growing bigger and fuller by the day.
I know that hibiscus plants are not native to the U.S. but
the blossoms are so magnificent it is hard to discourage planting them. I have
several at my house. They produce giant red flowers that make me stop to admire
them every time I go outside. I actually enjoy the surprise of such elegance
when I open my front door.
The hibiscus plant is a grand reminder that even in the most
crowded environments, in places that seem to discourage nature, we can always
find beauty if we look for it; a red maple at the curb of a city street, a
lotus blooming in a polluted pond, a garden known as the High Line that was
created on a stretch of unused railroad tracks in New York City. Who would
expect such beauty there? In keeping ourselves open for what nature offers, we
help ourselves to be open to beauty in other aspects of life, too. It is a
meditation on the amazing experience of living.
Learn about hibiscus and see lots of varieties:
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