Wave and a “Weed”

My high school beckoned to me, thirty five years after graduation. The sisterhood of four years of studies, promise and potential, of friendships and first loves invited me to appear and reconnect with my former classmates. I arrived a tad late, as is my habit, and I savored the quiet late afternoon sun that painted the building and the grounds of my high school golden yellow. I was here with my thoughts and I took in the moment breathing deeply the scent of memories. I relished the silence and calm before the storm of laughter, hugs and catching up that would soon be upon me.

My high school was a place, a haven really, that gave me so much, mostly a belief in myself and my future, and it was there I repeatedly experienced the goodness of kindness. Here the building loomed before me again, just on the other side of this wall. I felt shy. It was just me, so I looked for a weed, and I waved.

The grounds of my high school were meticulously kept so it was a difficult task to find a weed. I do think this palm seedling, growing in the cracks of the parking lot against a wall will not be tolerated once it is discovered, so this was the best I could do. I’m certain the groundskeepers will do away with it and if I visited this very spot next week, it might very well be gone.

In spite of its unwanted status, this palm seedling has persevered. It has made the best of a bad situation, sprouting where its seed was laid, pushing up stem and leaves and reaching for the sky, benefiting from the reflected sunlight and warmth of the wall, trying to get as much growth in as fast as possible before it is discovered.

We start from the place were we are born. We have no say, no control or influence. Deep within us there are urges than cannot be stifled: the urge to flourish, to explore, to create, to grow and bloom and keep on traveling no matter what the conditions. So we use what we are given and we fight to feed our needs and urges so that we can grow and bloom as best we can.

For all of us who travel on this journey, I wish for you insightful days of peace and wisdom, exciting days of potential and dreams, and productive days of hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done. I hope that the place where you started on your journey nourished and supported you, but if not, I pray that your will and belief in yourself has given you the strength to artfully grow into a weed which never gives up.

If you get invited to your high school reunion, I highly recommend that you go! Give yourself the chance to cherish who you were and who you have become. Take a peek back at a specific leg of your journey, and you may just be surprised at what you can now clearly see!

Please come back tomorrow for a new “Weed Image of the Day” and let me know which ones you like.

We and our weeds are so much more than what we first appear to be.

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