Siblings

I have loved orchids ever since Shya bought me one as an opening night gift when I was an actress. These days, I usually have one or two on a cabinet behind my desk, and I enjoy seeing them when we’re on Zoom. When the blooms fall off, I move the dormant plant and I now have many pots near the window. Each year some of them rebloom. I am always interested to see what color they will be, as I lose track of which plants have white flowers and which are colored.

Recently I purchased an orchid that had a spray of tight buds tipped with one lovely white and purple blossom. I had the expectation that as the blossoms unfurled, they would have virtually identical markings to the one that had already bloomed when I purchased the plant. To my surprise, they were all quite different. The first had a bold purple print. The second, while still bold, seemed to have finer dots merged and it appeared more lavender on the edges, less white. The third flower had a more delicate print. 

How was this possible? It was the same plant, the same stem, the same DNA.

I now like to think of this particular orchid’s blossoms as siblings, much like my sisters Cathy, Mary and I. We each came from the same parents but we are all quite different. It is so easy to compare myself to them, looking for my attributes or flaws. But I have come to realize that it is far easier to embrace our unique qualities. Like an orchid, my sisters and I spring from the same root but each of us are special and distinctive.