After a long day of working, I entered my hotel room and there on the desk was the most beautiful bouquet of flowers I had ever seen. It was overflowing with roses, daisies, sunflowers, and lilies in an assortment of colors. I was so excited and I knew they were from my husband. These flowers meant so much to me because one, he thought to do something while I was away from home and two, he rarely gets me flowers as for the most part I think they are a waste of money, but today they were exactly what I needed.
I would be leaving the following morning and my challenge would be keeping the flowers alive during my travels home. I could already envision them in a vase for my desk at home and had plans to share the sunflowers with my sister, as they are her favorite flower.That evening I spent about thirty minutes prepping the flowers for travel. The hotel front desk staff got me paper towels, plastic baggies and a rubber band. The following morning, I soaked the paper towels in water, wrapped the paper towels around the flowers, then placed the flowers in the baggies and secured with the rubber bands and a bow. I was now ready to travel.As soon as I entered the airport, I was receiving stares as the arrangement was quite large. I wasn’t even for sure if I could take the flowers through security, but guess what…you can! I was relieved I had made it through security but now I was on a mission to locate a restroom. As I was looking for the restroom, I walked up to the information booth and asked the attendant, and older gentleman, for directions. He pointed me in the direction of the restrooms and commented how beautiful my flowers were. I thanked him and headed on my way.
As I was walking away, I heard this little voice in my head that said, “Give away the flowers.” What? I wasn’t giving away these flowers. I loved them. I had spent time prepping them for travel, getting them through security and I was taking them on the plane.As I entered the bathroom I laid the flowers on the ledge above the sink and prayed someone wouldn’t steal them. When I came out to wash my hands they were still there. Again, I heard that little voice say, “Give away the flowers.” Darn it! I have always found it easy to give, but occasionally I felt challenged to give gifts I didn’t want to give. This was definitely a gift that I did not want to give. I felt this is a test if I was a real giver.
As I walked out of the restroom I met my co-worker and he was standing next to and talking to the gentleman at the information booth. As I approached, the gentleman commented, “Those are such beautiful flowers, my wife would love them.”When he said this I knew I was supposed to give away my flowers to him. I stretched my arm out and said, “Here you go, take them?”
He chuckled, and said “I was just complementing you on the flowers, I don’t want them. “I said, “I know, take these flowers and give them to your wife.”
He was shocked and thrilled at the same time. He was getting ready to get off duty and said his wife would be so surprised.My coworker was in disbelief that I just gave away my birthday flowers. But my heart was smiling. I knew I had done the right thing. What an opportunity for a random act of kindness.
I wish I could have been at that gentleman’s home when he gave his wife those flowers. I wonder if he told her the story of what happened. I wonder if he paid it forward in some way and what difference did this act of kindness make in his life, if anyway? I will never know, but that day I learned to listen to that tug on my heart as opportunities to give are all around if we just look and listen.
