I’m sorry to say that my beautiful Calla Lily is dying; this is probably their last day. This is a landmark moment for me. I love this flower and took great care with my photos, hoping and perhaps expecting some praise and approval. Yes, I have an ego, which is unsurprising to anyone reading the blog.
This photo is in honor of my Calla Lilies, who are dying. If I wasn’t able to respect their lives, I could undoubtedly appreciate their death. You are great flowers, and we shall meet again shortly. You brought me much happiness.
The irony was that the Calla flowers were among the best photos I’ve ever taken. I was surprised that they were also the most criticized and reviled.
My critics never mentioned the photos themselves; I just misspelled the name. My dyslexia has hit me hard with this one. I was accused of disrespecting the flowers and of denigrating the language. One man called me stupid and asked why I kept misspelling the flowers repeatedly. Many people did that, including me. But I knew the answer.
I also received an awful lot of praise, appreciation, and support. This is a much-loved flower.
As always happens, I tried to figure out what I needed to learn when I thought I had done something good and was told by several outraged people that I had not. It’s time to move on, I decided; this felt like Stupid Time. The poor Calla, I’ve been misspelling flowers for years, and no one has ever mentioned it before.
It was a valuable experience in many ways. But all good things come to an end. Bye.
Maria made this post-it, and I have it taped to my computer. Soon, there will be more.
The Callas are gone, but the Post-it isn’t. I plan to get more flowers and post-its this week; the Calla lilies are now my favorite flower of 2024 (at least until another flower pops up whose name I will almost certainly disrespect). Thank you, Dyslexia.
I have one confession and one thing to apologize for:
I knowingly put up a misspelled Calla picture this week and deliberately misspelled it and didn’t correct it.
I just wanted to see some of these stuffpots and correction addicts jump through a few hoops. Only one or two noticed it and bit; I think most have moved on, looking for other criminal misspeakers of flowers.
These insults were adolescent and lame. No one had accused me of insulting a flower.
Most original complainers have moved on and sought other people to target. I was taught it wasn’t cool to ridicule people with learning disorders, but that was a lifetime ago, in the lost world of civility and empathy.
I have yet to lose either compassion or empathy, but I did change the spelling; it wasn’t good for me to do that, either. I’m adding disrespecting mean people to my list of sins. I won’t do it here.
Taunting people is never healthy or proper; it is genuine writing abuse, worse than misspelling the Calla.
I apologize, although I can assure you there will be other misspellings of flowers in the future; my garden beds will be complete in May, and my Dyslexia does not love a flower and will not save me from misspelling it. Get ready for a wave of pretty pictures, many with the wrong spellings. I fault no one for fleeing or hiding.
I don’t know how to say this other than honestly, but sorry, folks. I love flowers and photographing them, but I don’t really care much about spelling them correctly.
There, I’ve said it. I have more important things to do and write about than how to spell Calla Lily or why I didn’t (thanks, Maria.)
You won’t find another word about it here. My readers have more important things to do, too.
___
What I did do at the end of this silly saga to respect it – I won’t read or post these messages again or deliberately provoke floral self-appointed police as a kind of twisted revenge. I need to be better.
I also dug out ten shrink-approval ways to respond to cruelty online. I call it the Creepy List. It’s good advice; I plan to follow it. It’s posted on my computer, also:
- Please don’t worry. It only shows them they are getting to you, giving them power. …
- Walk away. …
- Breathe deeply; this feeling will pass. …
- Get going. …
- Be healthy. …
- Meditate. …
- Be happy. …
- Forgive.
Your photo’s speak a thousand words, Jon….and if one of the words (flowers) is not spelled correctly……so be it. It will never deter me from enjoying the beauty of them and I will never critique your spelling EVER…….. keep it up!
Susan M
I love to read your comments Susan M. It’s too bad that we will never get to meet as you seem like such a nice person. Thanks for sharing your heart.
Ditto
Mary, what a kind thing to say, thank you! I don’t know where you live, but unless you are in California it is unlikely we will ever meet. Same goes for Jon….sadly. 6 years ago when I took a month long Amtrak Train adventure from California to Toronto Canada to visit a friend (Sandy Proudfoot) …(the trek of a lifetime) the last leg of the journey was the 12 hour leg from New York City to Toronto on the Maple Leaf Train.
I knew we would pass just within a 1 1/2 hour distance to Bedlam Farm on the route and I tried to ascertain whether it *could* be feasible to detour and visit Bedlam…….but alas…..it was not. So…..I will never meet Jon in person either! Your very kind words were welcomed, thank you!
Susan M
I have loved all your flower pictures. Some I look at over and over trying to decide why they appeal to me. The same with your bird pictures. I don’t comment often although I want to as it might get tiresome to you. I love to write and it is very tempting to respond to every post. I could get carried away. I skip over misspelled words realizing it is not intentional. (Well most of the time, not intentional.) Good luck educating the public about dyslexia. Most of the people who know about it, know that it is a child’s private hell. Research is helping some, but the people who overcome it and become famous people are few and far between. It took courage to get where you are now.
Nothing about your message is tiresome to me, Mary, I appreciate it and hope to hear from you as often as you wish. I don’t get tired of people like you.
Since the Cala lily grows from a bulb, it may be possible to repot it once the leaves are done, and have it grow again .
I’m brand new to this discussion. What a beautiful photo you took of these graceful flowers. People were creating a (sounds like) huge fuss because you disrespected the flowers by misspelling their name? Good grief! It hurts to be attacked and misunderstood when you were only trying to share something nice.
Thanks for moving forward and being yourself in the midst of this. Maybe we all can take a deep breath. Maybe your critics can breathe in empathy. Maybe you can breathe in healing. Maybe I can breathe in “mind your own
business!” 🤠
Thanks for the nice note. I can’t control the people who send these messages, but I can be the one who empathizes. You have to have experienced some trauma to be that angry; I forgive and forget…
There is beauty in death, also.
I don’t think I could care LESS about misspellings!!!
Pay no mind to those trivial comments!
Thanks Regina, I’m doing well with that..
Hi Jon. I’ve been following you forever, back to Running to the Mountain. I don’t normally leave comments but this post resonates with me. Misspellings certainly don’t bother me. I do transporting for a local bird rescue and wildlife rehab. One of my sayings is “people are whacked”! They are who they are. I’m just glad I don’t have to live with them!
I’m going to write down and post your 10 shrink-approved ways to respond to cruelty. It IS good advice. I’ve always had a problem with “forgive”. I’ve thought that if I forgive someone, then I’m excusing what they did or said. Basically saying that what they did or said is okay. I’ve asked some people what forgive means to them and I haven’t received an answer that I can relate to.
Would you mind saying what “forgive” means to you?
Thanks so much, and keep photographing your flowers and birds. They are beautiful!
Please don’t worry. It only shows them they are getting to you, giving them power. …
Walk away. …
Breathe deeply; this feeling will pass. …
Get going. …
Be healthy. …
Meditate. …
Be happy. …
Forgive.
Before anything had a name it existed. Spelling and grammar are not static and continue to evolve. In the meantime your glorious photos bring beauty and joy to the world and your words, regardless of the spelling, add depth and love.