Flowers

Friendships are a strange thing
They are much like flowers in that you plant the seeds, weed out the bad ones, and when they are fully grown, you can enjoy them, their beauty, and their fragrance.

I got a flower for completing a week of volunteer Church Camp counselor work, and it meant so much to me, but once I got home, I tossed it, along with my duffel bag, in my kitchen. My dad put it outside after a few days, and it still rests there.

I needed to clear my head and I felt a cool breeze coming in through the dining room window, so I stepped outside for a moment. I noticed the flower on the patio table. I sat down, and twirled the stem in my hands. Some of the branches were brown and fading, and the flowers smelled sickly sweet. I moved up to the middle of the branch, where there were still some yellow flowers left. I moved the petals between my fingertips. These petals were somewhat sturdy, but lacked the beauty of the flower when I got it. There was no smell to it, none at all. No variety, no luster, nothing.

I moved up to the top flower, which, while fading, was a lesser shade of the brilliant yellow when I got it. The stem was green, yet I couldn't smell a thing. It was as if the flower was just for looks, and not for any real purpose. This saddened me deeply, and I gently put the flower back on the table.

I stretched and yawned as a cool breeze rolled across my stomach. It was past my bedtime, but I didn't care. I was probably going to have another one of my abandonment nightmares tonight, and I wanted to stave that off for as long as possible. My mind wandered back to the flower, and I realized something.

Friendships are like flowers. You have a whole bunch at first and they all smell sweet and look beautiful, but as time goes on, they fade and crumble, or turn sickly sweet. Some have no meaning whatsoever, and some just disappoint. Friendships are all like that too.

All friendships, no matter how strong at their peak, will crumble and turn sickly sweet.