Floral Clock and the 5 Rs

What are the 5 Rs you ask?, first let me tell you a bit of where this inspiration came from. In Niagara Falls you’ll find a famous tourist attraction, The Niagara Floral Clock. It is said to have been photographed as often as The Falls itself. I haven’t taken a picture every time I’ve been there, but I do have a few over the years. There’s even a picture of my parents in front of the clock almost half a century ago when they first came to this country.

Built in 1950, the floral clock includes 20,000 bedding plants that represent a different theme each year. This year the theme is renewal and resilience. And it got me thinking about the journey to joy, which includes both renewal and resilience.

So here are 5 Rs that will help you get to joy.

1. Rest. This means taking a break, sitting with yourself in silence and coming to terms with your feelings. Yes, even and especially the bad ones.
2. Reflect. Thinking about the emotions that surround our suffering will help us understand and create a plan to overcome it.
3. Release. Create something out of those feelings. Write, paint, create music… There are many ways to express ourselves. Be yourself and let it out. Haven’t some of the world’s most famous creations come from someone who has suffered and felt the need to express it?
4. Renew. As you release you find renewal. New thoughts and feelings take over as you approach recovery.
5. Recover. There is something magical in this phase. A new light shines. You will look back on your courage to accept pain as a part of life and grow from it. And you realize that moving through your pain and suffering has brought a new way of thinking that invokes peace and joy.

Beyond that you will be filled with a great sense of gratitude. As the wheel begins to turn, slowly at first like the hands of this beautiful clock, you know the entire universe conspires with you. Suddenly it feels like everything fits together in perfect synchronicity and everything happens in perfect timing, just like this clock.

This weekend I finished reading a book from an author who exceptionally exemplifies renewal and resilience. I’ll share all about that in my next post. You don’t want to miss it.

In the meantime, share your thoughts on renewal and resilience. Do you have an example or story that you can share to inspire others.

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This is the Journey to Joy series. Write a post, like a gratitude journal about something you’ve experienced on this journey to joy. Ping back or link your post in comments, and I’ll share it in my next Journey to Joy post. Let’s share the joy in this journey!

If You Go:

The Niagara Floral Clock does have free parking, though the WeGo buses stop there. It is on the Niagara River Parkway about 8 kms from the falls and almost next door to the Botanical Gardens. If you are travelling along the parkway from The Falls head towards Niagara-on-the-Lake, you can’t miss it.

Here’s a link to Google Maps of the location