What It Takes to Bloom
Every day I walk the gravel driveways between my house and the office/arena several times and just recently I noticed a little Queen Anne’s Lace growing in the middle of the roadway. We’ve all seen those plants that find a way to grow in these harsh conditions where it seems improbable, and this flower is the perfect example. I started thinking about what it takes for this little plant to not only grow but find the resources to put out a flower. Two characteristics came to mind: persistence and the ability to dig deep. Obviously, the plant is not doing either of these consciously but it does them nonetheless. It must keep trying to put its roots down through the gravel to find water and nutrients. Undoubtedly some roots fail to navigate a way through the packed rocks but the plant keeps trying, sending roots in slightly different directions until it finds the right stuff. This determined plant also must establish roots deep enough to reach below the gravel to actual soil, deeper than it would have to in less harsh conditions. These two characteristics become important for people, especially during difficult times. We look at the ground around us and can’t imagine how it can sustain us, it looks improbable or maybe even impossible. But if we persist, undaunted, using a different approach when what we try fails to move us forward, and we dig deep to really tap into our personal strengths, we can bloom. Because blooming means not only being beautiful but making our world a more beautiful place.
