And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk to bloom” -Anais Nin-
Did you know that in floral shops, the flower buds that won’t open up are called “bullets”? Those are the buds that will never bloom…the discarded ones.
I’ve seen those buds before. They are so tight into themselves that they become stuck. Those flowers just won’t bloom. I always feel a sense of loss when I see that happen to a flower. Usually that bud dries up and falls without ever reaching its potential.
Sometime ago, I spent a few days at the home of a good friend. While I was there, I saw her “help” one of these tight and stubborn bullets bloom by forcing one petal open and loosening the bud a bit.
I thought at that moment that sometimes we are like flowers that won’t bloom and that just like bullets may kill you, so may an unrealized life.
I felt such happiness when that stuck bud bloomed. It was a purple beauty! And it had only taken a little push from my friend.
I realized that I may have been a little like that “bullet” some years ago. Sometimes we need help to bloom or to morph as it seems that even flowers do.
It has taken me a very long time to figure out even which kind of flower I am. Actually, I may never know. I would like to believe that I’m like a patch of wild flowers. Colorful, strong, and beautiful in its simplicity. More importantly, adaptable and resilient to any environment, or in my case, to any surprises that life might bring.
Maybe that is why it saddens me when a bud is thrown away before it reaches its full potential. Thankfully, I never discarded myself! Once I bloomed…with a little bit of help from my angels and friends, it has been a nonstop profusion of colorful flowers.
So if you feel a bit stuck, just loosen up those petals and bloom away…!
