A flower a day.

[layne67]

Thank you mochness, for pointing out thiel's journal who makes it his mission for the year 2006 to hand a flower to a different stranger, every day. I thought it's amazing, and ... humbling as well. And a very French thing to do. And I don't think he's French!

Read about it here.

How would you feel if a complete stranger suddenly presents you with a flower?

Would you do what thiel does? I don't think I'd have the nerve, or the verve :)

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

I adore the idea of random acts of kindness. Just adore it. That being said, I think I'd feel weird if someone gave me a flower. :-)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I'd get suspicious too, and maybe I'd be thinking that the flower would make me fall unconcious or something and I'd wake up with my things gone. Sad, but you never know nowadays. I wish that it isn't so, though. But I admire him for his perseverence.

[mochness.livejournal.com]

I think, but am not sure, that he's Australian :)

If a complete stranger presented me a flower, I'd go: X_x then look around for a security guard :P Either that or I'd be sure that he mistook me for someone else!

I love the way you represented your post. Mine was too short and unimaginative (not fishing for compliments, btw) and I had these same Qs in my head but I've no idea why I didn't think of asking them :S

Oh yeah, as for the nerve part...I think I'd have the nerve :D I tend to do things especially if they make me feel shy; I always try to not let my shyness get the better of me :P

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Yeah, his info says that he went to school in Australia so he's probably one.

Heh heh, I'd never get the nerve to do that. You have to be a very confident and brave person to do that 'coz you'll never know what the reactions of the recepients would be like!

[mochness.livejournal.com]

True but you'd regret it if you don't try it...not that I will anytime soon :P

[starlit-woods.livejournal.com]

I noticed his LJ last week and was thinking the same questions as you. I've wanted to do something similar but I hadn't thought of flowers. I'd thought of handing out lollies at Christmas or Easter, but I thought these days parents would probably be scared the lollies were poisoned or something :/ I'd do the flowers but I can't afford them.

From the few entries of his that I'd read though it didn't seem like he really got that much joy from doing it, maybe I just read some posts he made on a bad day, but it sounded more like a chore which is a shame.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I haven't read all his entries yet, just a few and I enjoyed reading what he wrote. The reactions of the people who had received his flowers must have been pretty varied and I suppose not all would react well to a complete stranger giving you flowers out of the blue. I guess that would put a damper on the spirits. But oh, I still think it's a very romantic thing to do!

You know what else is as good as a flower or a lolly? A smile! It's definitely free ( though that's not quite the issue here ) and it's guaranteed to make people feel good. And you don't have to limit it to a smile a day!

*smiles toothily at Jack*

btw, do you think he's Australian?

[starlit-woods.livejournal.com]

Well your suggestion definitely works because it made me smile :) *hugs you*

I had a look at his user info page and it says he is Australian, he even went to school here in Tasmania, where I live, for a year.

You're right it does depend a lot on the reactions of the people he's giving the flowers to. Plus I guess since they're complete strangers it's a bit hard to do something personal like that, I think giving a flower might be seen as more personal by some people than if they were given a balloon. Or a smile :)

[aredhelebenesse.livejournal.com]

That's a very nice thought! It's just the matter that as soon as anyone gets a present on the street they will expect a nerve killing advertising talker who want to sell you anything and chews your ear off. In fact people will hide from the person with the flower or at least they won't smile about it, but wait for the snag to come.
Once on a Christmas eve my telephone rang and a man told me he had chosen the wrong number since he wanted atually to recite a self written poem for someone. So he recited it quickly (but *so* nice!) to me, wished me Merry Christmas and hung up.
That was a pretty awesome surprise!

The other thing is, I got really sometimes flowers from strangers, just so, because they were in a good mood or why ever. But that was in a time when nobody here expected any advertising because we didn't have something like this in the GDR. :)

@--->---- This is for you. :)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you! I received a flower today *is happy*

What you said about people trying to sell you something is very true :/

*loves*

[i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com]

That's so touching. I can't imagine giving something away - every day. Hmh. I hope I'm not that stingy. :P

I think sometimes people here give away flowers, e.g. on a particular holiday or something like that.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

This (http://thiel.livejournal.com/73501.html) is one of my favourite entries. That boy with his white skin and blue eyes makes me think of a certain somebody.

*sighs*

[i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com]

Yeah. *sighs with you*

But like someone there, I mightn't have got it if I hadn't known the context.

But I'm like that. Don't worry.