Growing up in Minnesota, I cherished every moment of sunshine. May through September were jewels. People stripped most of their clothes come April - even March - to let their skin breath something other than layers of synthetic clothes. When my sister came to visit one May in Costa Rica, no matter the weather here, she wore shorts.

I’m didn’t come to Costa Rica to wear pants! she said, even though I’d be wearing socks and sweat pants and a sweater.

Now, I’m inundated with sunshine almost non-stop during the dry season of December through April. Even in the rainy season, the mornings are usually bright with sunshine. Flowers have two blooming seasons here when it changes from dry to rain and back again. Living in two different, yet in some way oddly similar climates and cultures,I pluck gems of each one into my home, back yard, and attitude.

Cosmos is a flower said to represent “the heart of a girl.” Look how simple and yet tall and determined this flower is. Back in Minnesota, I glowed proudly at my crop of cosmos. Butterflies love them, and they are surprisingly easy to grow. I still love these gems. But look how much this flower offers: the innocence of color, the resilience of change, and the stamina to grow again. It’s like a whole, little universe unto itself.

I think it was named perfectly, don’t you?