Dan asked me, today, if there was anything in particular I’d like to get for Mother’s Day (he and the kids were on their way out the door to do some shopping, and I was on my way out the door for a cup of coffee with a book).  Questions like that make me uncomfortable — even when asked directly, it feels weird to ask for what I want.  But over the years I’ve learned it’s truly better just to answer, and be ok with whatever happens after that (not getting what I asked for, or potentially “asking for too much”, which is what I’m really afraid of) than to NOT answer and then be wistful about what I really would have wanted.

The truth is, I’ve been eyeing a little rose plant at the florist shop downstairs in our building.  There were two, actually — one with peach colored roses, and one with orange roses.  They’re both very cute, small and relatively inexpensive (about 12 – 15 Euro).  I keep walking by the shop, smelling the roses, and envisioning the little plant on our table on the terrace.  I hadn’t decided which one was prettier.

So, I fessed up, and told Dan I’d been admiring the little rose plants downstairs.  He and the boys headed out to “shop” (and promised to take a few hours shopping — the time to myself is part of my gift for Mother’s Day) and I got my book and went out for a coffee.

An hour or so passed, and I actually made it back before they did.  It took me a few minutes to notice, but I had a present waiting on our terrace.  And it wasn’t one of the little rose plants I’d been admiring.  It was a whole rose bush/trellis/gigantic plant.  It’s taller than me, with lovely, pinkish-peachy roses on it.  It’s awesome.  It’s the best bunch of flowers I’ve ever gotten.

I’ve always wanted something like this, but we’ve never had a place to put it before — we’ve never had a yard, and our last apartment didn’t even have a balcony.  Now, it can live on our terrace, get some rain (although it’s dry here, so I’ll probably also have to water it, too) and a little (mostly indirect) sunlight.  And I’ll have roses all summer!

In true-to-me not-living-in-the-moment fashion, I’m already mourning the fact that my lovely roses will have to stay here when we move back home to the States next year.   I know that’s silly, though, and I just keep reminding myself that the point is to enjoy them NOW.

So, that’s just what I’m going to do.  I’m going to enjoy my very own rose garden on my terrace  (Here, in Vienna.  And I am going to appreciate my loving husband and my wonderful boys who got me such an amazing and thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day.  Life is so good.