“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.”
– Mulan –

Today’s prompt in the Health Activist Writers Month Challenge is to reflect on this quote and say whether or not it applies in my life.

The quick answer is “no”.

I am not a flower that blooms in adversity. I’m not like those cacti that I’ve seen in hostile deserts, that sprout the most beautiful, colourful flowers even though it hasn’t rained for 40 years. Although I’m hopefully not prickly like a cactus, I’m tough, and I’ve survived some pretty intense stuff over the years. But I haven’t bloomed all through the process. I have, at times, been completely denuded of flowers and leaves. I have been shredded as I’ve been blown around by storms, and I have found myself having to take root in places other than my natural habitat.

I’ve always survived, though, and there is some merit to that. I haven’t always bloomed, and I haven’t always been beautiful – but I’ve always survived, and I’ve gotten stronger through my journey. I have always been – and probably always will be – prone to vulnerability. I used to think this was a bad thing, but I am starting to learn the value of being vulnerable.

Because if I wasn’t vulnerable, I don’t think I would be capable of feeling love with such intensity. I wouldn’t be able to tap into my son’s world as well as I often do, and I wouldn’t have the gift of empathy.

Am I a flower that blooms in adversity? I would have to say no.

But I am a flower that can withstand anything.

(Photo credit: Elsie esq. This picture has a creative commons attribution license.)