P52, Somewhat: Week 6, "Texture"

Monday, January 23, 2012 marked 9 years since I met my friend, Jack.  As he does on many holidays and special days, Jack had a gorgeous flower arrangement delivered to me at work.  I kept them at work to show off and admire all week, then took them home on Friday afternoon to enjoy them longer (they usually last a couple of weeks).

It was nice to have the flowers at work all that week, giving me something to jump-start happy thoughts during the occasional low points in my days.  It struck me how many of life's situations we tend to describe using "texture" words.

• Work was tough today.

• This car has a smooth ride.

• Marriage is a bumpy road.

• Single parenting is rough.

Friendship is another situation we describe with many words, and the descriptions can change over time.  The friendships that last the longest seem to be the ones that make it down the bumpy roads, past the rough times, and into a smooth comfortable closeness...never giving up when the going gets tough.  I have been lucky enough, in my life, to have had a cherished few friendships like this.  I have some amazing friends who have shared the good and the bad with me, and who have remained my faithful friends though it all.

Jack knows that I adore lilies, and though my favorites have always been the orange Asiatic variety, I am quickly developing a fondness for this new variety Jack has been sending me.  They are called Stargazer lilies, and they are fascinating!  They are a deep magenta down the center of each petal, fading to crisp white along the tip and edges.  And if the bold colors weren't enough to catch your attention, then you certainly wouldn't miss the hair-like protrusions near the centers of the blooms.

These Stargazers, like friendships, are all-at-once bold, soft, bumpy, and beautiful.

"Texture" photographed by Sarah Getz for P52 Photo-A-Week Challenge, February 6, 2012.