The Sunken Gardens

The second I step foot into the garden I feel a sense of renewal entering my body. I stop and look around, closing my eyes all of my problems are no longer present. I feel free. All my troubles melt away as I dip down into the abyss of flowers and notice how all are each tiny individuals stuck in the middle of a sea of people. Just as humans are all different shapes, sizes, and colors so are flowers. They represent us in a way. Just like every human, every flower is unique. Though a flower on it’s own may not be perfect, when all the flowers are together they create a work of art. Nature has no flaws. The big picture will always be different as the seasons change but come spring, another garden with its own personality and flare will rise in glory to God.
I wander around the garden and stop at the trickling waterfall. A breeze wisps by my face, cooling my body and bringing with it the unbelievable combination of pine, soil, pollen and succulent flowers. As a bird finishes his song overhead and flies towards the heavens he leaves behind the sight of garbage, a straw. I cringe, disgusted. Then the smell of smoke curls into my nose. How could someone be so disrespectful? This is a place of beauty and we take it for granted. Beauty is all around us, yet we never seem to notice or care for it. We are so caught up in our own lives that we forget that we only have this one world to live in. The environment gives us the resources we need so that we can live our lives and it only has so much to give. We have only one chance to take care of it and if we do, it will take care of us. Just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden we are forced to make decisions everyday whether they concern our personal life or something bigger like the environment.
Some decisions we make are good and help us flourish while others put us on a path of trial. Adam and Eve were tempted in a beautiful place such as this and even though they could see what a good life they had, enough was not enough. We humans have to push our limits, even with full knowledge of the consequences, as shown by Adam and Eve. But what in this garden, would be the “forbidden fruit?” Would it be the Elephant’s Ear, the Cannas, the Daisies? Thankfully, I will never know the answer to this question. We suffer everyday from our mistakes and struggle to make things right.
The scampering of squirrels beneath my legs diminishes my current thoughts and the smell of gas lingers into my nose. I had never noticed how this beautiful garden was surrounded by downtown traffic. Why would such a place be in a location like this? As I close my eyes I no longer hear the chirping of birds or the trickling water, but I hear obnoxious car horns and veering traffic. The beauty is sucked away. Trying not to let my experience turn sour, I saunter into the center of the garden. Thinking I am safe from distractions I feel the leaf of a Lamb’s Ear, soft and wooly. I wish it was a pillow I could lay my head upon.
At the top of a hill is an unbelievable sculpture and what I like to call “The Nebraska Seasons Dome.” This dome’s hemisphere is split up into the four seasons. There are so many intricate designs that I could spend hours observing its every detail. Snowflakes, leaves, squirrels, trees, birds and even scarecrows are present. Representing Nebraska is the state capitol behind the sunset, a windmill, a crop-duster and a water tower. It shows the relevance of beauty in Nebraska and how it shapes our lives. Spring is the season of renewal and brings everything back to life. Summer months bring about activity, fun and spontaneity. When the leaves fall to the ground, life slows down. As winter hits, hibernation takes place. Just like the seasons and the flowers, people change. They are born, live life to the fullest, wither with age and eventually fade away.
Stepping foot into the Healing Garden I was filled with the feeling of purity. The garden of healing was full of white flowers. In my mind, it was the perfect place for angels to roam, a place where the flowers represent purity, spirituality and healing. I wandered to a bench and sat down to ponder the meaning in my life; and was greeted with faint smiles of contemplation by couples walking by. I sit back to people watch, deciding to observe the types of people that visit the garden. Just as I had expected older women were the majority. These women seem to appreciate what nature has to offer; they take time out of their day to admire the beauty. Unfortunately most of us fail to recognize the gardens importance. We all need to “stop and smell the roses” every once and a while and feel the difference a simple garden can make. Across the garden to my left, two young women sit side by side. One, a river of tears falling down her face and onto the delicate petals of the surrounding flowers, is in distress. I sit watching the couple for a while and wonder what is going on. Is her heart broken? Scarred? Did she lose her job? Have a bad day? And then it dawned on me. Flowers have their own language. They are feelings unspoken. A thank you never given. A sorry never said. They have silent but powerful meanings.
Flowers are used in both extremes in life; when you are down and when you are on top. We use flowers for mourning, celebration, love and forgiveness. Flowers given to others bring out the genuine signs of human flaws, weakness, and growth. When a man is “in the dog house“, what does he give his wife or girlfriend? Flowers. More particularly, why do we give red roses to those we love? How does a flower get a certain cultural symbolism? It is because of culture that flowers do not have the same meaning or portrayal everywhere you go. It explains why it is acceptable for a woman to receive flowers and not a man. It is because we make things acceptable. We make the rules that only women can be soft-hearted and that only males are breadwinners. Why? Why do we conform to everyday life?
There is more to a garden than its physical attributes. Behind gardens lie meanings, silent communication, healing, hope and forgiveness. The garden itself gives glory to God, while the flowers heal and soothe, forgive and thank, mourn and celebrate. They are our communication in times of love, gratitude, sorrow, joy and forgiveness. They grow and show emotions just as we do. They are more than we know. Flowers are like us and us like them. Take care and take time to appreciate them and help them grow so they in turn can help us.