What pop is to the world of music, lavender is to the world of herbs!
3 fictional stories (based probably on real events) with 1 glorious plant!
Crete, Greece 1990
Whenever I think of lavender I remember my grandpa. I guess this must happen for other people too but I’ve always liked to think I have a special history with lavender, as well as a very special grandpa! During my primary school years, I used to be troubled by nightmares. Every night I woke up shivering in the middle of my sleep from having been chased by a giant monster or another alien creature. Soon enough, my grandfather took notice of my troubles. One Sunday, he asked me if I wanted to join him for a walk. He wanted to show me a place I could return to whenever I wanted and that would send my nightmares away. We started our walk leaving the village behind, following serpent-like pathways.
And then, behind some reeds, there we were. It was like a nest, only wider. Like a safe hiding place. I could see dozens of olive trees and all-around their trunks, lavender bushes grew in concentric circles. Their flowers looked like little purple jewels! I can’t even describe their immeasurable beauty. A ray of sun entered the space and made everything look soft and inviting. A sweet aroma filled the air. It was like a fairy-tale land… I got the impulse to roll on the ground and feel happy! This is actually what I did until my grandpa told me: ‘‘We will borrow the gifts lavender is giving us and take them home with us’’. And while saying so, he gently cut some of the lavender flowers. ‘‘They will grow back’’ he told me when I gave him an indignant look.
Once back home, he sewed a few lavender flowers on my pillow. I still remember his elderly hands patiently sewing in silence. He stuffed the rest inside the pillow cover. ‘‘Now kiddo, let’s hope you’ll have a good night’s sleep and that lavender will chase away your nightmares!’’ That night I dreamt about the place we had been to. It was the sweetest, most pleasant dream. As I was walking around the field, the colours blended into a spiral that hugged me in. Soon, the little lavender flowers were growing wings and could fly! All the shades of purple and blue were floating around me and I was floating with them too, swimming in a sea of colours, among the olive trees! And from then on this is how pretty much every night would feel: calm and soothing and I would sweetly slide into a deep sleep.
Provence, France, 1768
It was pretty early in the morning and women of all ages were heading for the lavender fields carrying bundles of sheets and clothes. They were greeting each other friendly, telling jokes and changing sides of their bundles once they became too heavy. The July sun was strong and many of the women wore spikes of lavender flowers under their hats to prevent sunstroke and headaches. It was the blooming season and that made everyone in the village overly energetic: the intensity of harvesting work, the overflowing of smells, the celebrations! Soon enough, the lavender fields were revealed in all their splendour: vast corridors of vivid green-purple bushes, up to the limit of the blue cloudless sky. The women dispersed in the fields breaking the uniformity of the scenery. One by one, they started spreading their freshly washed clothes on the lavender bushes to dry. It was the turn of a long sheet. ‘‘Here, help me with that’’ one said to another; and the two women caught the sheet by its edges. With a decisive move the wrinkled ball of a white sheet opened up like an umbrella and after sparkling for a moment under the sun, it landed on the lavender bushes. How nice it would smell by tomorrow!
Bangalore, India, 2015
Amala closed the door of her student apartment behind her, along with the hustle and bustle of the city. It was her first year as a university student and the first time in her life living alone. Her parents had left a few days ago after helping her to move in. Today Amala was just coming back from a flower shop nearby with a pot of lavender. She placed it on the desk to take a closer look at it. ‘‘It is so beautiful’’ she thought. She had already bought extra soil to replant it in another bigger pot on the balcony. She put on gloves and got to work. After that was done, she tidied everything up, took a shower in tranquillity and now dressed in new clean clothes, started boiling tea. Cup in hand, she went out to the balcony and sat in her armchair, next to the lavender. Amala took a big breath of its aroma... This balcony was extremely quiet considering how close to the main street it was. She had a few days off before her classes would officially start. A new, exciting reality was moving towards her and she was about to dive in. So many plans and dreams! Amala sensed in her stomach the sweet anticipation. But all this could wait for just a little longer... What was also sweet, she knew, was now: that very moment. These last few carefree days of calm before everything started. She sipped her steamy tea, sunk a bit more in her armchair and kept admiring her lavender. She was really, really enjoying herself.
What pop is to the world of music, lavender is to the world of herbs!
Since the beginning of recorded time, we find traces of lavender in different places, cultures and societies. Trillions of stories - almost as many as lavender’s usages! - where people for hundreds of years use lavender to nurture and care for each other, as well as for their own well being. No matter the context, lavender has remained a stable presence throughout humanity’s journey and it has been a source of joy, pleasure and care. In the midst of all this wonderful diversity, it seems that lavender is a common ground, a common reference point; something most of us, if not all of us, can relate to. That universal character of lavender was the inspiration for these three flash stories...
So, what is your story; what is lavender for you?
Let us know your feelings about this plant. What does this plant remind you of, what does it makes you think or feel when you get the -real- scent of lavender?
Share your words and photos about lavender with us on Instagram @fisikashop
26.02.2021 / Written BY YOTA CELENTI
