Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

We've all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and boy if that isn't the truth, I don't know what it. Being in the business of floral design puts me in the center of this truism just about every day.

We've all had this happen. Someone in your life gives you this gift for your birthday or maybe Christmas. They watch you intently as you open the package, bit by bit. They have this look on their face that says "she's gonna love it, I hope she loves it" and of course, you really want to love this gift you are opening. You have all these preconceived notions of what this gift could be. Is it those cool jeans you saw in American Eagle or maybe one of those soft and fuzzy terry cloth robes you saw at Victoria Secrets. The tension mounts. Them looking at you and you intently digging inside the gift box and then it happens.... you unfold the ugliest blouse you have ever seen in your life. You look up into the eyes of the person who's obviously excited about seeing your overwhelmingly happy response and so, you don't want to disappoint them. You exclaim, "Oh just what I wanted, I love the color, I love the style"! In the back of your mind you know that this person has done their best to pick out this gift. They truly believe it represents you and your tastes but you can't help but wonder "does this person really see me, do they even know me at all".

And so we come to the sometimes difficult task of being a floral designer. We get orders in all day long that say the product requested is a pretty floral arrangement or something unique and unusual. The problem is what one person finds pretty another may strongly dislike. Some people think that an arrangement of Lilies and Roses in unusual and another might be thinking Bird of Paradise and Cymbidium Orchids. What's a poor, under appreciated floral designer to do. They not only have to balance the sender side but then the receivers side. For the husband who sends his wife those unusual ruffly parrot tulips thinking she'll love them to the wife who's response is "why did you send me this ugly flower". Who's really right here and who's wrong? The reality is that no one is wrong and no one is right. This is an example of remembering that the person who gives a gift, truly wishes to please. It really is the thought that counts.

From the initial order instructions to the response of the recipient, floral design is a tricky world of personal tastes and emotional responses. But let's be honest here, every flower is unique and gorgous. Nothing created by nature is perfect and there in lies the beauty. With regards to flowers, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

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