In a Room Full of Flowers

In a room full of flowers, indisputably, all eyes will go to the sunflowers first. Not only because of their complexion or their radiant colour, but also because they are familiar to most people. I started to write this letter on a train on my way  to Belgium. Interestingly enough, the first thing I see through my taxi window on my way to the hotel, once I arrived at  Brussels, was a single GLOWING sunflower, rising up from the centre of a roundabout.  Even though it was a cloudy afternoon, the yellow bloom was brightening up the grey landscape.

Once the check in was done I walked out of the hotel door to explore the city and as I turned around the corner my eyes found at the end of the street this gigantic mural of a sunflower. Evidently, I had chosen the right topic for this letter, I took those 2 “encounters” as signs. Well there is so much to say about them. First of all it seems extraordinary to me that they are entirely edible. From the petals to the roots, you can eat every bit of this flower. The seeds are use, in salads, bars, breads, or snacks. The oil is an excellent source of vitamin E and has been use in cooking for centuries. Also its antioxidant properties help in the preservation of your skin.

Another attribute  that makes them one of my favourite is the fact that they have the ability to absorb toxins, including metal toxins and radiation, more that any other plant. Each flowerhead is made up of up to two thousands tiny flowers in where the seeds develop. So when you think you are looking at one beauty, you are actually looking at thousands of them!Above are just a few of the incredible facts that I found on internet about sunflowers. Next, I will share what I found on my trip down memory lane.A little searching takes me to my childhood years, when in my school yard or in the square of my town the remaining sunflower seed shells laying on the ground were left behind as the evidence  of children having fun. Juts by seeing those bit and pieces

Coming from an Italian background family a lot of what we convey is through food. Many memories I treasure about my mother and my grandmother happened in a kitchen, 40 years ago, when homemade food was a norm. If I close my eyes I can still see  the vines hanging above the patio table, where all the delicacies were presented as offerings. El “pan de chicharron”, “los pastels de membrillo”, “las ciambellas”… I remember the tins filled with pork fat and the big bottles of sunflower oil used to deep fried these treats. On rainy day’s, as it is a custom in Argentina, we would fry “torta fritas”. It was really a feast for the senses: the sounds of the rain falling outside, inside the smell of pastry been fried in the sunflower oil, the torta frita still warm so soft inside the mouth, the sugar sticking on the lips.

Not so far in time, a couple of summers back, we were driving with my family  through Catalunya, Spain, in the golden afternoon light. We came across this sunflowers field that was extending as far as the eyes could see. I was amazed at the sight of this army of standing soldiers projecting their long dark shadows on the ground. They had all followed the sun’s daily journey from east to west, and it was their time to turn east again. I didn’t know by that time but every afternoon when the sun has set, young sunflowers turn again to the orient, ready for the next sunrise.

Now thinking about that moment I can imagine their “anticipation” for the light, they waited the whole night for that moment, for the warm rays of the sun to touch them. I realised now I was a sunflower once. More than a decade ago, while in Cambodia,I awaited for hours in the darkness of the night for the first lights of dawn to rise behind the largest temple in the world. When the sky seemed to be at its darkest, suddenly the horizon became visible, and where there was only black before, a pink shadows started to take over. The yellow golden aurora rose up stronger and finally a bright orange disk showed up. The incandescent sunshine was reaching everywhere. It was not only bright for the sight but also for the spirit. Suddenly I felt recharged. Witnessing a sunrise it is truly a magical experience.

How fabulous would it be to feel so alive and energised at the beginning of each day. I strongly believe we need to imitate and learn from Mother Nature.

Please do imitate the sunflowers every now and then, it does not matter where you are. Go and look east. Be like the sunflowers waiting for the magic to happen.

To finish I highlighted the most significant words of today’s letter:

Glowing, encounter, signs, delicacies, offerings, senses, spirit, Mother Nature.

THANKS FOR READING!