Embrace Your Flamingos

​Opportunity. It’s where timing and circumstances meet. A threshold to a challenge you never thought you’d have.

For me, this was my pink flamingo bathroom. A color scheme chosen by my predecessor involving pink, green, and a touch of blue. Florida, circa 1964. Yeah.

Don’t get me wrong. I love our home of 2+ years. But with every rental I’ve discover new opportunities for contentment, flexibility, and creative decorating I’d never before thought existed. In our 13 previous moves I had to re-imagine our possessions in new arrangements. Foregoing some of my favorite things at times, because of lack of space or impracticality. But when I saw this pink tiled bathroom ala flamingos, well…. I set my mind on how to make it go away.

Funny thing though, everyone I showed it to LIKED the quirky flamingos. They pointed out how unusual it was and that this theme may be making a comeback. Apparently, I was the only one who scorned these long-legged tropical birds in my powder room.

Quirky.
Stylistic.
Undeniably pink.
Was this really me? Did it need to be me?

I honestly didn’t have the energy to paint over the tile and the counter top. And though I would never have chosen this design, the tiles were still in excellent shape. They just needed to be loved.

So I searched through my various pictures and came across two I had used before in a bathroom with a beachy feel, circa 1890. The colors worked well and I could imagine the people in them spending a sunny day at a Florida beach. I began to recognize the space as my own.

I have since come to appreciate this distinctive pattern and embrace its depictions of a restful tropical place.

An opportunity is one, when you take the challenge. It’s when you cross the threshold from “I won’t” to “I’ll try.”

Many times would I walk past an opportunity and say, “Later, gator,” when God is nudging me to embrace the pink flamingos that come into my life.
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What are the pink flamingo opportunities in your life right now?
 
 
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This post is brought to you by this week’s one word prompt from Five Minute Friday, hosted by Kate Motaung. Check out more responses at Five Minute Friday. We’d be glad to have you join us!

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