Human Nature

I'm well aware that it's human nature to look for patterns in life. We create patterns as a result that support infrastructure. But I also think that its just a way for the mind to soothe the soul by looking for things that are familiar

Our house in Seattle had a large old hydrangea bush next to the driveway. Each year the blooms would bring a mellow blue happiness to many dining room tables. We would share the bursts of color with family, friends and strangers that happen to walk by and comment on its color.

When we got married I was an ambitious 29 year old on a budget so our wedding had a very homespun feel to it. It was a croquet party themed affair that took place in the gazebo at Meridian park just a few blocks from our house in the Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford. We figured croquet would give people something to do after the 16 minute ceremony, it would take the pressure off me to wear a big white dress, and give everyone the excuse to buy a new hat (my favorite accessory).

In an attempt to save money I made our wedding invitations using dried, pressed hydrangeas which we had also planned to use to decorate the food table at the wedding. That old hydrangea bush was part of our wedding and continued to be part of our marriage over the next 13 years. As you can imagine it was one of the things I hated to leave when we sold our house and moved to an apartment in New York. Where would I find my mellow blue happiness in the city?

Our apartment in New York is in Stuyvesant Town which feels a lot like living in a park or on a college campus. It's very well maintained with lots of greenery and a big fountain in the center of the complex called the Oval. Within the first week of moving in it happened! All of the beds outside of the buildings were exploding with mellow blue happiness. There were hundreds of hydrangea bushes all over our apartment complex. To me it was yet another indication that what we had done was the right thing. A sign that things were going to continue to be great here in our new home. Of course when I told MDHK about it I expected him to give me an education on soil composite but he didn't. Instead he said:

"It must be a sign".