No Life Is Greater Than Another
by Gruescu Ovidiu on Unsplash
Anderson’s Flower Shop was a family owned business, that has been around for 30 years. The day to day activities were overseen by Ron Anderson, who inherited the duties from his beloved parents. Thirty year old Ron was a master florist, who loved doing what he did, oh so well. Like his parents, he did business in a manner he felt would make the experience unforgettable for the customers.
A bell jingled near the front door of the flower shop, which was an indication someone had entered the space. Ron immediately looked up from the news paper he was reading, and looked in the direction of the said door.
“Greetings,” Ron said cheerfully. “Hello,” a well dressed man said. “How’s your day going, Mr….” “So far, so good. And you can call me James.” “Awesome, James. And you can call me Ron.” The two men shook hands. “So, what brings you in today, James?” It’s me and my wife’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary,” James said, and the joy in his voice was undeniable. “Congratulations.” “Thank you, Ron.” “So, what do you have in mind?” “I want to get her a dozen red roses.” “Nice choice, James. Well, what I do is let the customer pick what they like personally.” “That’s different.” “Yes, I call it, the ultimate customer experience. So, here’s the stem cutter, and the garden is through this door.” Ron pointed to a door located just behind him. James took the stem cutter and began to make his way to the designated door. “And take your time, James. This is a special occasion after all.” James was now in the garden area, and Ron resumed reading his news paper. “Wow! This is amazing,” James said. He allowed his eyes to scanned the beautiful rose garden, which was surely a sight to behold. “Hey! Hey you!” A baritone voice said. James looked around for the person the said voice belonged to, but he saw no one.” “Hey, I’m right here.” “Right where?” “The rose to your right, and that’s wiggling wildly.” James look over at the rose in disbelief. “You can talk,” he said in a trance like state. “Yeah, I can. So, what brings you back here, Mister….” “You can call me James. And you are?” “I’m Royce. Royce Rose.” “It’s…a pleasure…to meet you…Royce. Okay, I’m just going to come out and ask…. how is it you’re able to talk?” “Not a clue, James. Anywho. Back to my original question. What brings you back here, man?” “It’s me and my wife’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.” “How awesome. So, you decided to come murder some flowers and give them to your wife, huh?” “Murder?” “Yeah. You do know we’re all alive here, right?” “Well, I never looked at it from that perspective.” “I see. Well, let me give you some food for thought, James. What’s keeping us alive is the fact we’re connected to the same Earth, responsible for our birth. The second after you use that instrument of death in your hand, we begin to die a slow and painful death.” “Wow, Royce. I never thought about the situation like that. So, do the other roses speak as well?” “They do. But they’re shy. But me, I know being shy will get you killed in these parts. So, I speak up, and, I speak for us all. Sure, some folks brush my words off. But if I can help save just one of us, that’s more than enough. So, has your plan changed by chance, James?” “Indeed it has, Royce. I think I’ll take my wife to Paris instead.” “I don’t know what Paris is, but it sounds way better than taking her a dozen dying roses.” “I concur, Royce. Well, thanks for the food for thought. I’ll never forget this day.” “No problem, James. And be sure to share the said food for thought with your family and friends. Well, not the part about us talking. Wouldn’t want them to think you’re crazy, now would we?” “Right. I’ll make up something about how I came across the revelation.” “Oh, and don’t make mention of this to Rob either.” “I take it he doesn't know his roses can talk?” “He does not. And, we’d like to keep it like that.” “Well, your secret’s safe with me.” James waved at the roses and started to leave.
"Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to live, James," the rest of the roses said in unison.
"You're welcome. After James was gone, all the other roses began shaking wildly, and chanting Royce’s name. “What are they going to do if I’m ever cut, and taken away for shedding light on the truth?” Royce said to himself.
Moral of the story: All life matters. From the smallest ant to the tallest oak tree, all life matters. There is no gift more precious than life, life is the gift that makes all other gifts relevant. When we think our lives matter more than others, we show we can’t think at all. Let’s allow life the right to live.
Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge my offering.
May we never lose our desire to outdo what we’ve already done.
Remember. I’m not here to convince you to believe. I’m here to give you something else to consider.
Peace, Love, and the utmost Respect.
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