30 for 30 Countdown #30 - A few of my favorite things

It's funny how people get pleasure out of small things.  For me, relaxation and happiness come from hearing the ocean, smelling a baking pie, and looking at colorful flowers.  Growing up I always knew my favorite color (pink), I always knew my favorite skittle (red), I always knew my favorite food (Spaghetti O's.. I know, gross), but my favorite flower changed every time I saw a flower.

I loved plumerias for their smell, variety, and simplicity.  I loved the hibiscus because it was so bold and beautiful.  I loved pikake and puakinikini for the smell - if I got my hands on one of these rare flowers, I would smell it until the smell ran out.  Ginger, gardenia, and jasmine made me giddy.  Colorful roses and lillys and lilacs make me jump up and down.  Some girls are picky, but I've never met a flower I didn't like.

So to begin the countdown to my 30's, today I planned to hand out 30 flowers to strangers on the street.

This turned out to be a much more difficult task than I expected.

I bought my 30 roses and was ready to go.  Then I realized the first issue.

I have become incredibly shy.  I have gone from a person who would sing in the streets and play pranks on any random stranger to someone who is scared to give a flower to someone for free.

The second issue may have contributed to my heightened shyness.  New Yorkers don't trust people who are handing out free things.  People looked at me like I was going to scam them, make them pay, or that the rose was a secret grenade that was going to blow up in their face.

I decided to suck it up and keep going.  I went to Grand Central thinking people would be happier there.  I was definitely refused many times, but also got a bunch of smiles!

Once I got in the swing of things, everyone wished me happy birthday and to have a great day!!