I woke up this morning, groggy-eyed, and went through my usual routine: coffee, a quick glance at the headlines, and of course, letting my dogs out into the yard. But today, something stopped me in my tracks. No, it wasn’t a hawk lurking around waiting to snack on my dachshund, though I’ve been on alert for that recently. It was the daffodils. Standing tall, blooming brightly, staring right at me as if they were daring me to really look at them. And suddenly, an Oscar Wilde quote popped into my head: “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.”

What does that even mean? Aren’t we all living? I’m breathing, sneezing, and, well, surviving another allergy-laden season. But am I living? Those daffodils—perfect in their bloom—reminded me that existing isn’t enough. I get so caught up in the routine, the responsibilities, and the endless meetings that I sometimes forget the living part. Wilde knew exactly what he was talking about, didn’t he?

It’s funny how a flower can make you question your entire life. There’s something sobering about realizing that you’ve spent chunks of time on autopilot—wake up, work, eat, sleep, rinse, repeat. It’s like the dogs’ routine, except they seem far more present, wagging their tails and greeting the day with excitement. Meanwhile, I’m just going through the motions.

What does it even mean to live, as opposed to just existing? Maybe it’s about those small moments—the simple joys we often overlook. It’s those brief flashes of connection, like seeing the beauty in daffodils or appreciating the way the dogs frolic in the yard. It’s about stopping to notice when something beautiful stares you in the face instead of just walking past it because you’re late for your next Zoom meeting.

So today, I’m taking a cue from the daffodils. I’m going to lean into living a little more and existing a little less. If Oscar Wilde were here, I’d probably share my allergies with him and ask if sneezing through spring counts as “living.” He’d probably just smirk and say, “Well, darling, that’s better than missing the daffodils altogether.”