Bring Your Flowers to the Table

 

So last week we celebrated the launch of Princess Monsters from A to Z with a big party at my house, complete with cake. It was an amazing day for me, feeling so much love and support as my community came out to congratulate me. People came with cards, and flowers, and they bought my book, and told me how proud they were of me. I have never received so many flowers in my life! 

Today I stood at the kitchen counter with those flowers. There were large bouquets and small bouquets and potted flowers. And I trimmed the ends of the cut flowers, and put fresh water in the vases, and admired all of these symbols of love from people who care about me. And then I had a thought: I wonder if some people felt bad about the flowers that they brought? I wonder if some people arrived with their flowers and thought that maybe I had so many flowers already that I didn't need any more. Or maybe they looked at a larger bouquet and thought their flowers weren't as nice as another bouquet, or as fancy. But to me, every flower there was just wonderful, every bouquet was beautiful.

And then I had this ah-ha moment. We all do this. We think our flowers aren't good enough. We bring our flowers to the table and then we compare them to the other flowers. Maybe they aren't as big, or they don't smell as pretty, or maybe there are so many flowers already that our flowers seem unnecessary. You see what I mean? We judge our flowers, but the host is just happy to receive them.

Our creative gifts are meant to be shared. They are our flowers. Whatever you make, it is meant to be shared with others. And we spend so much time worrying about whether what we do is good enough, or if it is too much like what is already out there, or if people will judge it. But really, I think God, or the universe, or the Great Creator, put us here on earth to share our gifts with one another. And this is our job. To bring our flowers to the table. Not to judge them or belittle them or compare them. Just bring them to the table as an offering of love.

Whatever you dream of doing, whatever you want to create, do it. And then know that you were put on this earth to make that thing, and the universe accepts your offering as a gracious host, who is just happy to see you there with your flowers in hand.