Sights and Smells of Hope

Nora and I went to the flower show this past Thursday. The last time we went was during the pandemic, in 2021 I believe, when the flower show was held outdoors rather than in the Convention Center.

For those of you who are not 65 years old yet, or do not travel into the city by train, you may not know that there is a Septa program which provides free travel to seniors. Yes, you can travel by regional rail or take a bus, trolley or subway for free with this pass.

So we did. We drove to the Paoli station, first time going there, navigated the Septa app to pay for parking (only $2 for the day), then took the train to Jefferson Station where we disembarked then walked up a few flights of stairs to the Convention Center. All in all, a comfortable and stress free trip, despite the initial concern as to how to pay for parking as I had to download the app, register our car, and provide a credit card to pay the fee.

A far cry from the days when we use to drive to Fern Rock to take the subway into the city for concerts at the Spectrum, having to pay cash by putting a few dollars in the slot that corresponded to the parking spot we chose.

Anyway, the Flower Show.

To be honest, compared to past recollections of my reaction upon first entering an indoor show, the heady aroma of flowers and nature, this visit was a bit muted. There just didn't seem to be as many big, beautiful, showy displays of flowers. 

Still, the entrance to the show this year was spectacular! A visual cornucopia of beauty, matched by the earthy smells of all forms of flowers and trees arranged to display the natural world.

For those first few minutes, I felt hope in the midst of all the chaos we are experiencing, hope that, at worst, nature will reign on Earth long after humanity has passed, but perhaps, at best, we will turn away from the short term thinking that manifests in phrases like drill, baby, drill, and reconnect with the bounty of our planet, as the designers of the many displays we saw had done.

Sadly, some of those good feelings dissipated when we realized the extent of the marketplace filled with vendors selling all sorts of products, and not just flower or garden related.

Still, it was well worth the trip, if even for just those moments when, surrounded by nature's floral bounty, we were able to escape the 24/7 news stories that describe our continued national fascination with isolationism and lack of empathy for our fellow travelers on Earth, those within and outside our boundaries.

The train ride home was uneventful, and, as our car was still in the lot, I assumed I had successfully navigated the Septa parking app. We used our last Christmas gift card for dinner at a nearby restaurant, chatting about the beautiful displays we had seen, and ideas for improving our backyard vegetable and flower beds.

I imagine we will continue to go to the flower show, perhaps not every year but certainly many more times. And we also go to our share of botanical gardens, like our visit to Longwood Gardens this past January, and to local parks and preserves. Such trips are good for the soul, in addition to reminding us that the Creator had blessed us with such diversity in the flora and fauna of our planet. It's such a shame that so many of our leaders have lost touch with this simple fact; that taking care of what we have been given is the best way to honor whatever God we worship, and that such care includes nature as well as each other. 

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One final thought on our use of the train. 

Among so many other idiotic actions and opinions which have been emanating from the co-presidents, I expect an attack on mass transit systems to be forthcoming. Whether they push for privatizing this critical form of transportation, or just starving its federal budget so that it collapses from lack of funds, the "businessmen" whose only yardstick is profit and loss, are incredibly divorced from the reality that so many Americans live. 

Not to mention the benefits of mass transit systems, regardless of whether they operate at a loss or not. 

Don't people leaving their cars at home reduce demand for gas, demand being the other side of the supply/demand dynamic which controls the price of a product. 

And, of course, less cars mean less pollution, cleaner air. Do they not remember that during the height of the pandemic, our air was just a little cleaner. 

Not to mention the added traffic that is avoided, allowing the trucks and vans which deliver goods to small and large stores more room to maneuver, less traffic to battle.

And finally, the simple fact that by providing free rides to seniors like myself, perhaps we might venture into the city more often, spending our money at the stores and shops, contributing to the economy. Certainly during our few hours at the flower show, we spent more money than the cost of those free Septa rides.

I just don't understand the lack of vision that manifests in such short term thinking which would slash funding for mass transit systems such as Septa or Amtrak because they don't make money on their own, despite my points above about how these services improve air quality, reduce traffic, increase the supply of gas which will reduce the overall cost for everyone, and provide transportation for people to spend money in urban areas where they might not drive themselves.

Not to mention crazy, no sorry, cruel funding cuts that remove free meals for children, despite reams of research that demonstrates that those free meals improve learning in the classroom.

So, while I did experience the sights and smells of hope last week, I remain a realist who feels very uneasy about the direction of our country. 

I will detail just where I see America headed in the next 12 to 18 months in my next post.