We need to indulge ourselves sometimes

It was love at first sight. She was sitting on her throne with flouncy green skirts spread around her. She was surrounded by the leftover potted plants that had not been bought all summer. Other shrubs languished in their pots, some giving up on ever finding a home and lying listlessly on their sides. Chrysanthemums past their prime held out hope of being planted. Fresh-faced lenten roses shyly whispered, “Buy me. You know you want to.”

She was irresistible. Normally I don’t care for shrubs. I want something that does more than sit there shouting, “I’m green.” This particular plant had oodles of tiny royal purple berries at the junction of the leaf petioles and stems. There are few plants with that kind of color this time of year. Normally they are either dormant or if they do have color, it is the color of fall. She had me at purple.

The tag said it was a beauty berry. It also had a price that made me hesitate. I went home and looked her up. She is a deciduous shrub in the Lamiaceae family. She will get to about the same size as the plants on either side of where I wanted to put her. She is supposed to bloom from June to August, when that particular flowerbed is relatively bare. The berry-like drupes come after the blossoms and persist until the birds polish them off.

I was sold but still hesitated at the price. The next time my husband was in the area with me I took him by the nursery. The plant is now in front of our house. She fills her allotted place perfectly.

I know that not everybody has the same feeling about plants as I do. That is fine. I also know that everybody has something that they are passionate about. It may be sports, art, books, or anything else that makes you happy.

I think it is important to value something, anything. We all need something that makes us feel like life will be better with a particular object or happening. If your team wins a crucial game then you get a rush of endorphins. If you can finally afford a piece of art or a book that you have been longing for, it brings with it a feeling of satisfaction. It’s called a passion for a reason.

We tend to get into a routine. It’s easier to not have to think about what needs to be done or when. We have already figured out how and when to do the things we do on a daily basis. But all this routine gets boring. We need something to shake things up.

For me, the new bush did that. It gave me an excuse to play in the dirt as I removed the crabgrass runners from the hole I dug for the plant. It helped me work out frustration as I hacked its pot to pieces because it didn’t want to give up the only home it had known. It gave me satisfaction to see this aptly named plant nestled between the weigela and baptisia. Even Mother Nature got into the act by showering it with rain water several times over the weekend.

I hope you also have a passion that satisfies you and that you can share with others. We all need to indulge ourselves on occasion. We all need something that makes us happy.