When Garbage and Flowers Meet

Every job has its portion of tedium. Some work can even be unpleasant, but usually these duties are necessary in order to reach the enjoyable goal, the beautiful or delicious result. 

For me that means vases are cleaned, unnecessary leaves and thorns are removed, garbage is taken out and floors are swept. Being an orderly, as well as a creative soul, I have to do a bit of this along the way to maintain a happy workplace.

And music, there is always music or a podcast to keep my mind OFF the tedium and on the enjoyable goal ahead.

Last week, after creating 23 different arrangements of various sizes for a corporate banquet, it was time to transport my little works of art. It's a bit nerve-racking. Avoid dropping them, check. Don't break flowers as you load them in, check. Drive to the venue through city traffic without an accident, check. Find said venue, check. Figure out how to get them safely inside to the appointed location for the banquet....hmmmm.....not so fast......checking this off was NOT going as I had hoped.

I planned ahead, had a contact number to call, etc, but finding the loading dock ended up being a bit of an adventure. Getting cooperation from the banquet staff person assigned to bring me a cart (they brought a luggage cart, took away the first batch and left me at the loading dock NEXT TO THE GIANT OVERFLOWING GARBAGE DUMPSTER the size of a train car! waiting for them to return for over 15 minutes) WHERE WERE THEY??? and where on earth was this banquet location??? and was that a rat????

Those gorgeous peonies, ranunculus and tulips were not coming out of my car into that stench until I could be sure they would be heading out of there immediately! 

So I did what any intrepid florist would do. After calling my contact for now the fourth time and getting the excuse that the person was stuck in the elevator because it was housekeeping time, I searched around the loading dock for someone someone who looked willing to be helpful. A young man at his computer in an enclosed room (to keep out that wretched SMELL) kindly got up to see what I needed, and in seconds offered to help me load the flowers on the dolly he provided. I told him I was good to go, but thanked him for his helpful, kind spirit (what a contrast to little miss luggage cart!) 

When my contact finally showed up in the highest heels I've ever seen, she proceeded to lead me down the narrow cement hallway as I dragged the dolly along through the bowels of the hotel, past a few more garbage bins and storage areas, past a kitchen prep area that would not have won any cleanliness awards, through more doorways and slippery hallways that sloped so steeply I imagined us both on the floor, knocked down by a runaway flower cart, glass vases careening and smashing on every side like fast and furious! 

At last, after navigating through the stored patio furniture, we arrived safely, she of the high heels, having never lost her footing, and me, with every single vase and flower still intact and looking fairly unscathed.

and I thought about this:

Just like the actors who come from backstage to amaze the audience, flowers aren't meant to be seen until the guests arrive. The work done in any big establishment behind the scenes may have its tedium and perhaps even its unpleasant smells, but for those who come to enjoy the event, it's only the beauty they see. 

I'm grateful to be able to see both sides of that story, and grateful to those who work in the service industry for working so hard to create the calm and beautiful surroundings others enjoy. May God bless them with beauty in their lives, as well.