It was on the morning of what would have been my father's birthday the first sunflower opened (July 5th), alone and singular – it makes me ask the question "why this one and why this day". Is it pure coincidence or a sign of alchemical relevance? Should I anthropomorphize it into a human condition as being the unique one (the flower knows) – an almost religious one "the one"?

When I gathered the seeds from the September 2019 flowerheads to re-plant them in 2020 I didn't know if the seeds were from the tall or the small flowers – it turned out that very few were short. So the probability of it opening so early was very low.

I planted them all for him (over 100 of them).

Perhaps, like the Norwegian idea of sameness (all children should be equal and not be above or below each other in society),  I should have pulled out all the early ones to ensure a synchronized opening in August, to create equality in my sunflower society. Clearly not… but I also have many very weak ones which can hardly stand – I can not commit to tidying them up by pulling them out. All must survive.

Somehow I take it seriously that one came out – the first to flower for the day of his birth, far ahead any other, something about him, sunflowers and me.