Lotus Bud: The Waiting

There is a couple - a man and a woman - that I often run into on my morning jaunts to the Arboretum. They must walk over from a nearby building; it is part of their morning exercise routine. I do not know their names or where they work, but we smile and nod and sometimes chat when we meet.

On Monday morning, we all ran into each other at the lily pond, and we cooed together over the tight green lotus bud. We placed bets on when we thought it would open. "Saturday," said the guy. "Nope, sooner than that," she said. "Wednesday or Thursday," I said; "Look, you can see pink at the tip."

And of course, the week happened, and I ended up riding the bus for two days for various reasons. And I didn't make it back to the Arboretum until Thursday morning. You know right where I went: straight to the lily pond! And this is what I saw: still, the tight green bud.

The man and woman walked up on me as I was standing there simply staring. I raised my hands beseechingly to the heavens: Why wouldn't it bloom yet? And I admitted to the guy that he was probably right; though the woman said her money was still on Friday as the bloom time.

The lotus will probably open on Saturday, the day of the first Penn State home football game. (And I can assure you that on such a day, my husband and I will be FAR from town and its chaos and craziness. So no, I won't be back for a look.) It figures; the last lotus opened on a Saturday and I missed that part.

So here is a picture of our much-anticipated lotus. It is still in its tight green bud phase. The big show will be coming soon; within just a few days. The bloom will only last a few days; even fewer if it pours down rain. And for me, I'll visit again early next week to watch the flower's progress. I find - and don't you? - that the waiting is the hardest part.

The song: Tom Petty and Eddie Vedder, with The Waiting.