Cory Beckman
Owner
Practicing what I Petal
I spend (most of) my days in the company of flowers. I also encourage people to celebrate birthdays, honor loved ones and mark milestones. I remind others of the joy that flowers can bring to a loved one or friend but recently I had to admit something to myself, I’m not living the message I am sharing.
When I head out on the occasional flower delivery, I am instantly reminded that flowers make people smile. I say this not only as a plug to buy flowers, but I truly believe that we (and I include myself in this example) should be sending more flowers! Flowers are the placeholder and beautiful one at that, for a bigger message: I care, I’m thinking about you, I see you.
I rarely have fresh flowers in my own house. I own very few vases. Even worse, I most of the time forget to send flowers to relatives for special occasions. I’m my worst customer! This should be a no-brainer for me. It made me stop and think.
How can I expect others to uphold the tradition of sending flowers when I don’t consistently do it myself? How can I encourage customers to bring flowers into their homes when I rarely make room for them in mine?
It was time for a change.
For my birthday, I received a beautiful stoneware vase from my Sister-In-Law. It was thoughtful, timeless, and exactly the kind of piece that deserved to be filled and enjoyed. Today, I brought home some extra flowers from the shop and arranged them in my new vase. I read recently in another blog post that fresh flowers in your lived environment instantly elevate the feel of a room. This is so true, so easy (especially for me) and something I will try and do more often going forward.
I also recently sent flowers to a great-aunt (Sister of my Grandmother Donna; the original flower Queen of Milwaukie Floral) for a milestone birthday. It was a simple gesture but an important one. One that I know my Grandmother would have remembered to do. Traditions only continue when we choose to participate in them.
I receive very few handwritten letters or birthday cards, and I’m sure many of you are in the same boat. The ones I do receive are from folks that are older than, let’s say 85 (sorry, Marilyn). I told myself a while ago that I was going to start writing cards and mailing them. Now I am realizing that I already possess the ability to do something even better, send flowers!
Living your brand means more than selling a product or promoting an idea. It means believing in what you offer enough to make it part of your own life. This is my new goal.
For me, that means keeping flowers in my home more often. It means remembering birthdays and milestones. It means using the vases instead of leaving them empty in a cupboard. Most importantly, it means practicing the same thoughtfulness and connection that I encourage every day at the flower shop.
As a side note, it is very convenient that we have closed the garden center portion of Milwaukie Floral. If I were truly trying to live by everything we used to sell, my yard would not look like the disheveled dandelion breeding ground it currently is. But that, my friends, is a story for another blog post.
For now it is time to live what I sell.
