Have you ever seen a tree growing on a boulder? Its roots exposed, reaching out; struggling to break through even the smallest cracks within the rock? It is always seeking to find nutrients, water, even just a firm hold to protect it when strong winds blow through.
The flower seed that lands on concrete and manages to take root; it is no different. Its roots reach and reach, struggling to find purchase. It eagerly soaks up and cleaves to each molecule of water that comes its way.
What of the plant that manages to push its head out from the asphalt, breaks through and reaches its limbs towards the sun? Overcoming and conquering, in a world that says it should not exist.
Yet, somehow, life finds a way.
And what of us? What of those of us whom have struggled to overcome and rise above our circumstances? Are we not any more amazing? Can we not also inspire awe in those around us that have seen our lives, expect us to falter and hold their breath as we find yet another toehold in which to pull ourselves up?
Sometimes our lives do not provide the necessary elements for success, yet we manage to survive. Sometimes there is a barrier that exists and it takes all of our strength just to move beyond. Sometimes we are planted in a family, a community, a life where we are not understood--where we stand alone, not realizing that somewhere, there are others like us.
Sometimes, we are planted alone, without the necessary elements and with barriers in place. Here's to me. Here's to you. Here is to those of us that have never had it easy and probably never will. We are the strong ones for all the fragility in our lives. We overcome. We conquer. We find a way, in a world that says we should not even exist. Yet here we are.
Smile and realize how far you have journeyed. Smile and know that you are not alone. Smile and know that you will overcome. You have made it this far, yes? Here's to you and knowing that you will be okay. Sometimes survival through the day is the most we can hope for. Just remember to pause, reflect, and catch your breath when the trek seems to be all uphill--it just means the view will be all the more breath-taking when you reach the top...
