The Victorian Language of Flowers was used for decades to relay feelings that people had a hard time expressing or were too embarrassed to share. Each flower has its own meaning and each color further explains the emotions they evoke. The flower we will be looking at today is the Coriander. The flowers grow in flat clusters, also referred to as umbels. The petals start off very small in the center and grow to gorgeous large petals on the outskirts. The plant smells light and citrusy with its leaves, cilantro, being a popular herb across the globe. Interestingly, the name stems from the Greek word koris, which means “bedbug”. The name was affectionately bestowed on the plant, as when not yet ripe, it can smell foul. In the Victorian Language of Flowers, the Coriander symbolizes hidden merit.
As we return from Thanksgiving break, we are all reminded of the impending doom known as finals. With so much weight placed on each test, the thought of failure is suffocating and daunting. It feels as though one wrong move will ruin everything you’ve spent the semester working on. To me, this flower can show that you are not limited or defined by whatever final exam grades you receive.
I am a horrible test taker. The panic that courses through my veins as I sit in a silent room, some odd hundred other people in the room, sitting there, all waiting for what is to come. Even though everyone is always too involved in their own progress, it feels as if every pair of eyes is burning a hole in the back of my mind as they stare, waiting to make fun of every little mistake I am about to make.
Nonetheless, each year, I work doggedly at my practice problems and use every study technique I can to jog my memory, going so far as to associate different topics with songs I know by heart. Hours upon hours of studying, and yet the results don’t always come out the way you want them to. I would drive myself crazy, missing meals, sleep, friends, and family. My entire world a flurry. Like clockwork, I feel this panic as finals come around. Every year since I got my first final in middle school.
I have become better, trying to establish boundaries and separate myself from it all. It was after late night after late night when my parents approached me in middle school. I had fallen asleep at the table, rereading outlines and writing everything I could to make sure I did well on this test. They sat me down and had a really serious conversation with me that at the end of the day, I would receive the grade I received. They helped me recognize that I am not confined to being only a student – I am a human, a sister, a daughter, a friend. I am so much more than my grades, and all I can do is try my best, which is not limited to only academics, but also with my own health. They say that your brain is a muscle and you have to exercise it, but like a muscle, it also needs rest to get stronger.
So take this as your message with finals nearly upon us: you are more than just this test. Study, but take breaks, take time with friends, and take a walk, anything you can to replenish your energy. You are working hard, and you are doing a good job. Now remember, you are human, and you are worth so much more than you think. In my case, I am a student, a columnist, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and so much more. What are you?
