hydrangeaOne of the best-known lines from the movie Forrest Gump was this: “My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” I’m suggesting that life is more like a hydrangea bush. Bear with me. My disclaimer, as always, is that I am not the gardener in the family. But I enjoy the bounty of the hard work my husband puts in to make our yard look splendiferous. The color of a hydrangea can be white, pink, blue, red, or various shades of purple; it depends on the soil pH. We must have some amazing pH going on in our yard this year, as the bush off our front porch is all colors. And it struck me yesterday that this hydrangea represents the life cycle. Even though we’re heading into late summer, this bush still has new fresh buds on it, like babies. There are some blooms that recently burst out, reminding me of young children. Teens are represented by the half-bud, half-flower blooms. There are a few still in vibrant color just like young adults in the prime of their lives. The middle-agers are still lovely even though their colors have paled a bit. And then there are the older folks whose color is all but faded to a dusty blue. But, just as in real life, each one is beautiful exactly as it is. We need all ages for our world to function properly: babies who astonish us with their innocence, children who make us laugh, teens who provide hope for a brighter future, young adults who challenge the status-quo to make the earth a better place, middle-agers who inspire us by living life to the fullest, and our older generation who provides wisdom for the rest of us. And anyhow, wouldn’t you prefer to be a bloom instead of a Buttercream or a Nougat? ~~~~~ Forrest Gump Short video on caring for hydrangea