No. You might not have movie-star cheekbones. Join the crowd, brother. Some of us have faces that were practically made for radio. But the universe sees us. And it doesn’t make us any less pretty.

Flowers. Buy them. Today. Give them to her for no reason.

It’s simple. You wrote me for advice, so here it is. You’re seventeen years old and you want her to notice you. Flowers.

Here’s the way I see it:

You want to stand out from a herd of average Joes, right? So, let’s have a look at this flock of seventeen-year-old Joes closely—don’t forget to plug your nose, some Joes haven’t learned about Speed Stick yet.

So here we are. Can you see them? Do you notice anything?

I do. Many have cellphones in their hands. They aren’t even LOOKING at each other. They’re staring at electronics.

Sure, these boys might be more handsome, more athletic, or more popular than you are. Their families might be wealthy. Their fathers might own golf clubs that are more expensive than the average human liver.

So what? I’ll bet you five bucks those boys don’t buy flowers.

And that’s not an opinion, it’s a statistic. Studies show that American boys don’t buy flowers like they used to. I don’t want to get into the numbers here, but let’s just say that floral purchases among young males are down. Way down.

Boys quit buying flowers right around the time Andy Griffith went off the air. Somewhere along the way, text messages and Snapchat took over the world. And if you ask me—which you didn’t—that’s a crying shame.

Just the other night, for instance, I saw two teenagers in a pizza joint. They were sitting on opposite sides of a booth.

The young woman was drumming her fingers on the table, staring into the distance. Bored. The young man was on his phone.

Then, without warning, the young man stood. He slid into the seat beside the girl. He pressed his shoulders against hers. They smiled. He held his phone outward. Selfie time.

He spent the rest of the night giggling, staring at the blue light in his hand.

So buy flowers because they aren’t electronic. Buy them because they are among the few things left without mini-nuclear-computers inside them.

Buy them because your mother thinks it’s a good idea. Buy them because once upon a time, your granddaddy’s granddaddy gave flowers to someone he loved.

Hand them to her. Smile. Look her in the eye. Don’t worry about being confident. Just be you.

Some folks might tell you confidence attracts a girl, and maybe it does. But confidence is short-lived. In real life, it comes and goes. It can be stolen from you.

If you ask me—and remember, you didn’t—you owe it to yourself to be humble. Nobody can steal a man’s humbleness.

A man who is strong enough to be humble is a brave man.

No. You might not have movie-star cheekbones. Join the crowd, brother. Some of us have faces that were practically made for radio. But the universe sees us. And it doesn’t make us any less pretty.

But then, what does it matter what I think?

It doesn’t. I’m just some middle-aged guy who hopes you know that there is a pasture of life ahead of you. A long one. It’s a world of clouds, hillsides, country roads, bluebirds, and moments so wonderful they’ll make you cry.

One day, if you’re fortunate enough to become an old man, I hope you are lucky enough to have your best friend beside you. And I hope she is someone who is with you during good times and hard ones.

I hope you are unafraid to hold her hand or kiss her cheek. I hope you touch her gray hair while she sleeps, without saying anything to wake her. I hope you realize that being seventeen only lasts for a little over three hundred days.

But flowers.

Flowers never die.

27 comments

  1. Susan Patterson - April 14, 2018 5:49 am

    Ya killing me Smalls! Thanks for the smiles and tears every danged day. you’re from where nty folks were raised. Me too.

    Reply
  2. Marilyn Vance - April 14, 2018 11:05 am

    ‘Just ’cause’ gifts are the best kind….keeps love alive! Thank you, Sean!

    Reply
  3. jones - April 14, 2018 11:17 am

    Right on! (And, please write on!!!)

    Reply
  4. Connie - April 14, 2018 11:42 am

    ????????

    Reply
  5. Connie Havard Ryland - April 14, 2018 12:26 pm

    I’m sharing this one. Great message. I would share a story with you about that but I better not. Anyway, thanks and have a great day!

    Reply
    • Jon Dragonfly - April 14, 2018 3:39 pm

      Aw, come on, Connie, you know we all like stories.

      Reply
  6. Martha Owens - April 14, 2018 12:48 pm

    All young men (and older ones, too) would benefit from this message. Although I see just as many women using their cellphones instead of participating in a face-to-face conversation. Flowers would certainly be a good conversation starter! Thanks for your daily messages. Read them every day!

    Reply
  7. Jack Quanstrum - April 14, 2018 1:32 pm

    Superb writing and story!

    Reply
  8. Dana Craig - April 14, 2018 1:34 pm

    It would be nice for the older guys to remember how thrilled she was when he used to send flowers, or gave them to her in person. I miss those days. I may share this with the hubs. Gentle nudges can be good.

    Reply
  9. Carl, another pilgrim - April 14, 2018 1:47 pm

    I keep flowers in a vase on the dining room table. It makes me smile. It makes her smile. If it’s been a tough week for her (health issues), sometimes tears appear in her eyes.
    Need to get some fresh flowers today.

    Reply
  10. Carol ann ROTHWELL - April 14, 2018 2:09 pm

    Thank you for the beautiful flowers…..!
    It’s been a long,long time….he use to bring me a Easter lily,at Easter,and a pointsetter.at Christmas.
    And a rose everymorning by the coffee pot every morning….I miss him,I miss flower’s from him.,
    love ya.?!

    Reply
    • Jon Dragonfly - April 14, 2018 4:10 pm

      _ _
      _{ ‘ }_
      { ` .!. ` }
      ‘ ,_/Y\_, ‘
      {_,_}
      |
      (\| /)
      \| //
      |//
      \\ |/ //
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
      Carol Ann, this flower is from HIM. I’m just a delivery boy.

      Reply
      • Jon Dragonfly - April 14, 2018 4:28 pm

        ..
        . _ _
        . _{ ‘ }_
        . { ` .!. ` }
        . ‘ ,_/Y\_, ‘
        . {_,_}
        . |
        . (\| /)
        . \| //
        . |//
        . \\ |/ //
        . ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

        Maybe this one will arrive undamaged.

        Reply
  11. paula jones - April 14, 2018 2:09 pm

    “A man who is strong enough to be humble is a brave man.” That one sentence is worthy to be added to the canon of scripture . . . maybe right after “Blessed are the merciful” or “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

    Reply
  12. Wendy Franks - April 14, 2018 2:36 pm

    Thank you, Sean. Such worthy reminders. I am among those who still get flowers after several decades, even on ordinary days. Feeling so blessed!

    Reply
  13. Beki Denison - April 14, 2018 2:39 pm

    Sharing this with my almost 17 year old son. And if store bought flowers are too $$$ fresh picked wildflowers (aka Redneck Roses) substitutes just fine. Thanks for sharing Sean!!

    Reply
  14. Nix LaVerdi - April 14, 2018 2:54 pm

    Every Time. You nailed it. This kid asked the right person for advice, if you ask me. Flowers. Sean, I have nobody to bring me flowers, but myself, and that is good enough for me. I own a flip phone, the kind you found in the year 2000. It does everything. It calls people! (No internet included). I often find myself looking out into space, for all around me are glued to their phones. (They laugh at their phones too! And I am a funny lady. They are missing out.) It is okay, for I enjoy looking out into space, but I admit, these are lonely times. Those electronics never kept me warm at night, I know that. Flowers, conversation, true friends, those things keep me warm. Thank you for your stories. They are Golden.

    Reply
  15. Kayren Owens - April 14, 2018 3:10 pm

    . . .and if you can’t afford to buy flowers, stop by the side of the road when you see wild flowers blooming and pick as many as you can–all the same or a variety; it doesn’t matter. Then give them to her and tell that everyone of them made you think of her. She will never forget you and the way you made her feel. She will always think of you when she sees wild flowers.

    Reply
  16. muthahun - April 14, 2018 3:39 pm

    Well damn… now I have “Daisy A Day” in my head and tears in my eyes. Good advise on the flowers and great advice on the damn cell phones!

    Reply
  17. Sherry - April 14, 2018 5:26 pm

    I wish I could forward this to every teenage boy alive!!!

    Reply
  18. Sue Cronkite - April 15, 2018 12:43 am

    This is a great one!

    Reply
  19. Jack Darnell - April 15, 2018 1:59 am

    I ain’t real sure ’bout ’em flowers. But I do know my girl likes the last one I bought her when she turned 80!

    Reply
  20. Rose - April 15, 2018 2:56 am

    Flowers! Yes! Yes! Flowers! We LOVE ’em!!!

    Reply
  21. Edna B. - April 15, 2018 5:05 am

    My hubby used to bring me flowers. He’s not here now, but my kids bring me flowers. I just love flowers. They make my eyes and my heart smile. You do too. You have a super evening, hugs, Edna B.

    Reply
  22. Steven Porter - April 15, 2018 11:01 am

    #goodstuff

    Reply
  23. Jody - April 15, 2018 11:39 pm

    ???????

    Reply
  24. Sharon Miles - April 17, 2018 2:59 pm

    My parents were happily married for 70 years. My dad was a farmer all of his life and always returned home with something he had picked from fence row or ditch for my mother. She was tickled beyond words.

    Reply

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