Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to try to savor the flowers as they bloom.
Speaker 1: Spring blossoms are fleeting, but we have the power to
Speaker 1: make any stretch of time feel bigger and more memorable
Speaker 1: by being smart about what we do with it. So
Speaker 1: this episode is first airing in March, as we are
Speaker 1: coming out of a long winter. There has been a
Speaker 1: lot of snow and a lot of very cold temperatures.
Speaker 1: Even if winter is long, though it can't last forever.
Speaker 1: In late February, I began seeing some daffodil shoots poking
Speaker 1: up from the ground, even in the middle of the snow.
Speaker 1: Of course, if winter seems to last too long, much
Speaker 1: of spring seems too short. Each individual species of plant
Speaker 1: tends to blossom for just a few weeks. They go
Speaker 1: in waves, with the daffodils and crocuses and hellebores heading
Speaker 1: to the forscythia and the plum trees, magnolias and the
Speaker 1: yoshino cherries. The tulips then come up, and the quands
Speaker 1: and cherry trees, the dogwoods and azaleas come after that,
Speaker 1: along with the crab apples rounding into the roses of
Speaker 1: June and the lilies of July, at least in my
Speaker 1: part of the world. Blink and you might miss something.
Speaker 1: I know I've been hoping some weeks when I have
Speaker 1: traveled over spring break that the quans and cherry trees
Speaker 1: aren't completely done when I get back. Time marches along
Speaker 1: at the same pace no matter what we do, but
Speaker 1: we have the power to make it feel like time
Speaker 1: is stretching. We can savor time instead of just letting
Speaker 1: it slip away by interacting with time a little differently.
Speaker 1: One way to do this is to be more observant.
Speaker 1: Challenge yourself to document the flowers as they come up
Speaker 1: first April, May, June, July. Take pictures with your phone.
Speaker 1: Maybe at the end of the season, you can make
Speaker 1: an album featuring the flora of your town. Learn the flowers'
Speaker 1: names through an app like picture. This record the dates
Speaker 1: they blossom and how long they lasted, so you can
Speaker 1: mark those on a calendar to watch for them next year.
Speaker 1: You can also make memorable experiences with the flowers. Time
Speaker 1: seems to slow down when we do things that are
Speaker 1: novel or intense. So become a floral tourist, something you
Speaker 1: can only do at this particular time of year. I
Speaker 1: like visiting botanical gardens around my home, including Longwood and Chanticleer.
Speaker 1: I also like visiting places like the Title Basin in Washington,
Speaker 1: d C. To see the cherry blossoms, or Holland Ridge
Speaker 1: Farms in New Jersey to see all the tulips in April.
Speaker 1: If there is a garden near your office, make a
Speaker 1: point of getting out on breaks to stop and smell
Speaker 1: the flowers. Really. Then notice the smell. Then maybe even
Speaker 1: write in a journal about having done so, or tell
Speaker 1: somebody about it. This will make these breaks seem more
Speaker 1: noticeable as you recount the pleasure and thus experience it
Speaker 1: a second time. You can bring flowers inside if you've
Speaker 1: got some growing in your yard, pick a few to
Speaker 1: put on your desk or on the kitchen counter. Make
Speaker 1: a point of looking at them during a zoom call.
Speaker 1: Fair daffodils make anything feel more cheerful. By noticing and
Speaker 1: savoring the flowers, we become more aware of the time
Speaker 1: that they are there. We don't slip from March to
Speaker 1: June without noticing. Sure, it can be a very busy
Speaker 1: time of year, but when you make a point of
Speaker 1: observing the season, the season can seem to stretch. Slowing
Speaker 1: down time isn't a bad thing in the meantime. This
Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.