All it takes is one tulip to brighten the landscape and calm my mood. Good thing, because all we got at our house is one damn tulip. One! Over the years, the deer have decimated our tulips, yet somehow the hungry buggers overlooked this one.

Fortunately, we have the Tulip Festival in Washington Park coming up. We went to gaze at the blooms yesterday evening.

Tulips symbolize deep and meaningful love. You can tell by their sturdiness and vibrancy and perfection of shape. The way they shimmy in the breeze like life itself. Their graceful cups, their petals of myriad hues, their hearty green stalks and cornerstone leaves. A single tulip, a row of tulips, a field of tulips—I’ll take what I can get.

