Snowflakes on a Mission.. and Angry Butterflies.
I have always seen “personality” in things that most people only see as an object. For me it is part of how I learn. If something does not have a personality, I have a hard time relating to it. When I was learning letters and numbers as a child I had to assign personalities and even stories to them, before I could learn them. To this day, I have a hard time remembering people’s names until I know a couple of facts to “hang ” that name on.
So, when I came out of work today, the first thing I see are the snowflakes. The wind was blowing them by the door with a lot of force, but in the direction of the sidewalk (in other words parallel to the building). I thought with a grin, that they were “angry snowflakes” or snowflakes on a mission. Maybe they were angry because it seemed like they were evaporating as soon as they landed and not getting to accumulate with their buddies.
The longer I have certain plants, indoors or out.. the take on personalities for me. If they stay around long enough, they may even get a name. There were several trees that were “best friends’ when I was growing up, and became my favorite places when I got older. I received an orchid from a neighbor to take care of for her, and since I have done ok with it, I asked Bill for one on for Valentine’s Day. It is a lovely amber yellow and bronze orchid, with lots of personality. I am looking forward to naming her. She is in my kitchen right now.. I need to find a way to get them up out of the way. (BTW — Orchid pots are going to be a pottery project)
There would be fewer people that would classify me as insane, for only talking to my pets. I was recently told by m’youngest child, I am crazy because I put out water for my lady bugs who tend to winter over with me. I figure that they take care of my garden all summer, it is the least I can do to watch out for them in the winter. I kept finding ladybugs in my drinks and water glasses, so to prevent their early demise in my bedside water glasses, I have started putting out some very shallow containers with just a little water in them. This actually started one evening when I was reading before bed time and a ladybug was on my bedside table acting like he/she was looking for something. I put a small drop of water on the table and the ladybug walked on top of it and “soaked” it up. Between now and next winter maybe I should make a little fairy garden set up in a few of my indoor flower pots with like “bird baths” for my lady bugs. (Another pottery project– LOL) I have had to learn I have to keep the spider webs cleaned up in the areas they hang out in, or else they become dinner. I am not anti-spider, but they do not tend to make good neighbors.
Butterflies are something else that strike me funny. Now large winged butterflies have no choice but to flutter in sort of a slow and ambling way. They cannot help but look and act relaxed. It is how they are built. Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to be a “pissed off” butterfly and have no choice to look like you are calm, relaxed and floating in the air with no cares! That would be enough to piss you off again!
Some of the smaller butterflies can flutter quite vigorously, and look like they are in a hurry, upset or on a mission to their next flower. They seem to have the choice, due to their size, of fluttering, sauntering, hurrying or floating to their next destination. The larger butterflies, due to their wing span, if they got really pissed off — would beat themselves death. Maybe that is why people like butterflies – they appear to be relaxed and Zen. They “appear” to be the Zen masters of the insect world.
I have been told that at times I appear to be a “woman on a mission” and that the way I carry myself, makes it appear as if I am pissed off or stuck up. I have a feeling that this appearance comes from many years of getting from point A to point B, without having a bully stop and harass me. If I moved quickly enough I could prevent one more person to tell me how I was not good enough. I was in my twenties before I could really relax and even in my Thirties before I could stop having panic attachs when I found myself going to a “school environment” . So like those butterflies — some times I do not appear.. as I truly feel.
Blogsite for Ginger and Gellis 
I too see “objects’ (living or not) in a different way than a LOT of people. They tend to look at me weird. I associate animal characteristics with people. For instance, my friend, Jay’s face reminds me of a turtle. People can see items in the clouds so why don’t they see things in other objects? One of my favorite little friends during the summer is the one pesky hummingbird that seems to own the branches on my plum tree. He’s not in a hurry like some of the others since he preens himself & just sits there. Very tame acting. When I was quite young I used to hold funerals for bugs & my mother’s jack-in-the-pulpit delivered the services over the match box casket. We have a weeping willow three in our front yard that became my hiding place. So green & gentle.
Nah, you’re not insane. I talk to my plants and animals all of the time. 😉
I used to have an old rosemary plant that I would prune and clean as I sat on the top step of the deck and the kids played out back. I’d clean the pine needles out of its branches, talk to it and make a fuss over it. It lived for 6 years. Sadly, it didn’t survive last winter and I haven’t been able to get myself a new plantling just yet.
You’ll find this to be funny…About you and “being on a mission”, I’ve turned into the opposite of you. (Who would have thought this?) I rarely ever fly down the hallway on a mad dash to the copier before the next class. In fact, I’m the one who stops to chat with the janitors, stares at the clouds out of the big windows on the main hall or watches the birds in our crepe myrtle trees. (Once we had a small family of possi in one of the trees. They became the hot conversation topic that day. LOL!) I’ve had several coworkers ask me if I ever get in a hurry for anything because I walk down the long haul as if I don’t have a care in the world. My reply is “Yeah, sometimes”. Then, they actually do see me when I am on a tear over something and man, do they get out of my way fast! :]