Florescence: A mind healing in the company of flowers

Abstract

The central narrative of Florescence: A Mind Healing in the Company of Flowers takes place between March 2020 – August 2021, while I was a graduate student at Iowa State University. The unique stressors of the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest aggravated my dual diagnosis of bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, causing me to lose my grip on my own sanity. This is a story of healing from psychosis while navigating challenges in work and personal relationships. Throughout this story, flowers bloom.

Before my health crisis, I was studying the floral industry, in which I have worked in key stages of my life. Because of the environmental problems in the industry, I was looking for a new way to experience cut flowers. I was fortunate to find work at a local sustainable flower farm in the summer of 2021. I chose to work at the farm, as well as a grocery store flower shop where I had worked before, to meet my financial needs and experience floristry through two perspectives. For the first time, I also grew my own garden.

This is a story, in poetry and prose, of the many kinds of love that helped heal me as I found my footing again, while experiencing joy and sorrow in this tumultuous time. Flowers, to me, are an expression of love, and I hope you feel that with me in these pages.

My healing is not over now, nor is it complete even in this book. I will be weak again, many times. As those who share my diagnoses know, and as many others learned in this time of global crises, we need a support system to help us through life. We need love to steady us and make us strong, to soothe us and fuel our resolve to fight for what is good in this world. We need to be in the company of others who remind us why life is worth living. As you see the world through my eyes for a while, I hope you see that your own support system can include flowers too.