194. Sunflowers

 

I know everything I write about and put in this blog isn’t distinctly American or even North American though they are all things I appreciate here at home, but when I started this gratitude journal of mine it was inspired by Time magazine’s list of 240 great things about America in politically turbulent times. The politics in our country are still crazy, but there is still beauty, joy and redemption here in America and there always will be. That’s the focus so that I, a somewhat political person, don’t fall into the pit of despair.

Sometimes it’s just very little things that truly bring joy. These are the things we must cherish and protect. For me and thousands of others the sunflower is one of those overlooked bits of joy. I don’t need to plant them every year, but I do because they blend and new varieties and colors volunteer in my garden every year. I have so many that I have to pull them up and leave a few to remain in strategic places along with the few new seeds that I do plant. They also end up in other places because their seeds get spread by the birds and through my compost.

Some of the sunflowers I grow are the big-headed mammoths that are typically grown for their seeds. I don’t use the seeds for much, if anything, but I still love those towering flowers that can be upwards of eight feet tall as they bow down low when they open up. I also get plenty of little sunflowers that will shine lemon yellow petals or crimson against gold. Most of them are the ordinary yellow flowers that turn their faces to the sun, but all are beautiful in their bright colors. When they finish blooming the heads are full of seeds and I just leave the stocks standing into the late fall because they make the most natural bird feeders. And I love watching the birds flit around in my now almost barren garden. Of course, there are a zillion other things that sunflowers bring such as their seeds for food or oil, but I’m just partial to their cheery demeanor and the sustenance they bring all the migratory birds. Sunflowers are a spot of joy in my life.