I love the crisp vibrant flower of the bougainvillea. I love that it reminds me of Mexico, and of Southern California. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I thought my bougainvillea days were over until I saw some for sale at a local nursery.  “Really?” I asked the saleswoman. “We can grow them here?” She told me that we could, and that she had one for a long time. The only catch is you have to take it indoors for the cold winters.

Sold! I bought one, took it home, and set it out in the sun in my backyard. Soon afterwards the heat reached up to 110 degrees. But they like the sun, I said to myself. They thrive in it. I kept thinking that— until all the blooms had fallen away and leaves were wilting. Poor judgement on my part. I pulled it out of the sun and set it on the covered patio. Now, a month later, it is once again beginning to smile and bloom. I am relieved. I’m happy.

Then it occurs to me that perhaps there’s a lesson here. Sometimes our hopes and dreams show themselves, like my beautiful flowering bougainvillea. Then they’re left to bake in the sun, unattended, neglected. So they drop off. They wilt. And then we feel bad that we missed the opportunity to nurture the dream and to enjoy it. But the good news is that the life force of our dreams are still, and always will be, alive. They’re just waiting for a little nourishment and care. Just a little attention and action. They’re wanting to bloom as much as we want them to. They’re waiting for us to act. And today’s a good day for action.