The Lesson of the Pansies

For several weeks now I have been observing my balcony porch winter garden. It consists of two small red cedar trees, two box elders, and seven pots of pansies. With just-the-right positioning of my chair I can see, through two long, wide glass panels, all my pansies.

This is what I am learning from them:

• They require much less water than my summer flowers, I suppose in large part because of the lower temperatures in which they dwell.
• With a bold fierceness they defiantly withstand the north and east winds that bludgeon them on stormy days. In fact moderate breezes strengthen both the stems and the root system.
• They droop dramatically when the temperature descends below freezing point and especially when it drops to 10 degrees or below.
• They sag even more when glazed with ice during winter ice storms.
• And, and, and with an untold gumption they pick themselves up and raise their colorful faces to the sun when above-freezing warmth returns.
• How many times have I written them off for dead…only to be both surprised and amazed when strength and beauty and their resulting endurance show up again. Stronger than the Energizer Bunny. A resurrection of sorts.

If I were to identify one word to best describe their character, it would be “resilience.”

1. the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness
2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape
3. Elasticity…flexibility, pliability, suppleness, plasticity
   (Definitions from Oxford Languages)

Resilience, or being mentally tough, refers to the ability to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to challenges, and maintain a positive mindset in the face of adversity. It involves emotional strength, nimbleness, and the capacity to persevere through difficult situations. It has something to do with being
grounded in hope.

As I anticipate the winds of political uncertainty and disruption ahead of us, I am taking my cue from the pansies and their resilience.

The first image is a composite of the pansies currently blooming on my porch. The second was taken several years ago in our Nashville front yard after a snow.