Theo is an arranger. He spends hours per day deciding which trains should attach to the various tenders and coaches, which route they should travel, and how they should navigate the roadblocks and missing or broken tracks he sets out for them. When it came to flower arranging, he already had a transferrable skill set to bring to the adventure of distilling his backyard to a few bouquets.
When he and Savannah came in with armfuls of flowers, Theo was giddy about his bounty. As he made decisions about vases and composition, I watched him land in a word and concept that he was clearly hardwired to receive: arrangement.
When we aquire a word that speaks to something true in us, I imagine that something happens inside us akin to a light coming on in a room we didn't know existed. My son who sees the problems and perfection inherent in patterns now has a word––arrangement––to accompany him on his quest for order. And, with this word as his hinge, his indoor and outdoor world have come together in a single, coherent conversation of beauty, agreement, relationship. (Plus, now he has a really good excuse to use scissors and give presents--two of his favorite activities.)
Thanks to Savannah for the arranging project, the genius of her love and care, and the smiles she puts on Theo's face and captures on film!
