I was in the elevator of my building with my son-in-law Chris and a neighbor. We were talking flowers. My neighbor is an usher at a church uptown and is responsible for the flower arrangements. She told me what she was paying and I offered to help her find some less expensive plants. Suddenly the doors opened and another neighbor gets on. Overhearing our conversation the second neighbor decided to chirp in. "I don't know why people insist on fresh flowers when plastic ones are even more beautiful than the real ones could ever be. "Besides," she continues, "cutting flowers off a plant is cruel to the plant and shouldn't be done." When she left the elevator Chris and I did a double take. I was still in shock when he pointed out that she had a pin on the front of her shirt that had a picture of a raw steak circled in red with a horizontal slash going through it. Ok I get the no meat thing but no to fresh flowers?
I've decided that this is what can happen to you when you haven't left the city for a long period of time.
If you find that you are rationalizing plastic flowers over the real thing, and you are wearing pictures of beef on your lapel, know that this is a sure sign that you must leave the city immediately and find nature. If you can't leave, then go to one of our many parks or the botanical gardens or even the flower district on West 28th street. (see picture above.)
But you must go. And don't forget to take off the beef pin before you leave.