Field of Daisies

I am made of flowers. I used to keep them hidden. Sometimes I picked a flower and gave it away but not very often. My flowers are sacred. 

I gave John a flower. He smiled and set it down. The wind blew the wilted petals to the ground as he walked away.

I gave a flower to Tyler. He loved it. He put it in a jar with water. He wanted more. He danced and sang about the flowers. I gave him more whenever he asked for more. He loved them so much he started picking them himself. My flowers thinned and died. I began hiding my flowers and only picked a few for him when they felt healthy, but that was becoming rarer. I stopped giving him flowers altogether. He cried and said I didn’t love him anymore. I said I loved him but he couldn’t have my flowers. He didn’t understand and kept crying. I picked another flower and gave it to him.

Then I met Steve. I didn’t pick any flowers for Steve but he saw them. He sat by them and watered them. He fed them and they grew. Even when he wasn’t there, they grew without fear. The flowers became strong, they felt safe. Maybe I didn’t need to hide them anymore. Maybe they could be safe around Tyler too. Tyler saw the big strong flowers and got scissors to cut them and put them in water. I built a fence to keep Tyler out, to keep most people out. They could see the flowers but not pick them. Tyler didn’t like that. 

I didn’t like my flowers being picked anymore. Steve never picked my flowers and he never asked me to pick them. He just taught them to grow. Steve is allowed inside my flower garden.

I am learning to protect my flowers. They are no longer hidden but they are safer than they have ever been. 

The flowers don’t belong to Steve, they belong to me. But Steve helped them grow. I always thought flowers were to be hidden and then picked and given to a few people. So I was afraid of people. I had to preserve my flowers. I never knew someone like Steve could sit and watch them grow with no need to pluck or hurt. I never knew I could build a fence to keep them safe. Now my flowers are so big, people see them everywhere and no one plucks or hurts and I am free. 

Thank you, Steve.