There’s something about being outside surrounded or embraced by nature.

What’s a nature element that really speaks to you? 

It could be the moment you notice the dark green of a treetop touching the vibrant blue of the sky. It could be the sound of the ocean waves crashing. It could be the smell of freshly mowed grass. It could be the sensation of bark on your skin as you hug a tree. It could be the taste of freshly plucked grapes. It could be the sudden stillness and silence as you realize you are “alone” with nature and your thoughts.

It could be all of the above. Or none.

If you haven’t found your nature moment, there’s no rush. Nature’s waiting for you!

I can’t tell you when the first time was that I saw a live sunflower and was all “That’s it!”

But I’ve always been surrounded by sunflowers through art. As the story goes, my maternal grandmother found art as an outlet to cope with challenging times. She would paint with me at her feet. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized sunflowers (or a sunflower like flower) was staring me in the face for a long time.

My paternal grandmother was artistic as well. (She also did the book cover for one of my book reports in the primary grades, but let’s keep that between us.)

With the combination of nature and nurture, I should be artistic, too, no? No. Not me. I have an eye that appreciates if not a hand that creates.

And my eye appreciates nature- especially sunflowers. 

Sunflowers emit positive energy and good vibes. You can Google “sunflower meaning” and find that. For me…it is admirable that they emit said energy and vibes in spite of the conditions that they have weathered. High winds. Lack of rain or too much of it. Folks that want to pick at or trample them. They are resilient.

Sunflowers may symbolize adoration, loyalty, and longevity when given as a gift. I appreciate the concept of loyalty. My personal circle is very tight. Trust can be a challenge for me. What you pay attention to grows. If I look for signs of trust or distrust, I’ll see evidence of whatever I am focused on. Sunflowers are often a gift that I give to myself. Perhaps they are a reminder to look for the bright spots in my life and not the dark ones.

Sunflowers orient themselves to the light and face the sun. Have you ever been to a sunflower field? Do you think they are aware of their shadows? We should be aware of our own. I think it can sometimes be too tempting to turn away from the dark and miss the learning from it. Or, it can be easy to stay so focused on the positive that you downplay the impact of the negative until it shows itself in an unhealthy way. The next time you see a sunflower in nature, don’t just look at the flowerhead. Walk around and look it it from behind. Notice its strength and imperfections.

“The sunflower lifts through its stalk and shows its face to the sky with pride.”

I wrote this line for my book. For every nature reference in Because…You Matter, featured artist Leslie Gerhart created a beautiful piece. I had no idea what I would put on the cover. But, the moment I saw her sunflower? 

I knew.

It made me cry. I felt calm and a pocket of peace. The line itself meant to me rising through challenge, showing resilience, and being…you. 

And that can be overwhelming. 

The sunflower is my touchstone for how I want to be on my best day. And on my worst day, I strive to be a bit like the sunflower still…one petal at a time. 

I invite you to have grace and compassion for yourself as you continue to strive to be how you want to be one day, one hour, one petal at a time.