The Story of the Flower: A Fable
One day a seed was planted in the ground. The flower inside was safe and warm inside the shell of the seed, but the world outside beckoned her to come out. "Come join us above the dark ground you're buried in" the wind and sun and rain would call. "Come see that there is much outside that is beautiful."
The flower carefully pushed her way out of the safety of the seed and through the ground to join the colors of the world above. As she timidly poked herself out of the ground, she was greeted with the gentle caress of the wind, the warmth of the sun, and the refreshness of the falling rain. "This is wonderful" thought the flower. "Why did I waste so much time hiding in the cold, dark, lonely ground when this world was right outside?"
As the flower continued to soak in this new life, she grew strong and beautiful. She blossomed into a colorful, fragrant, lovely part of the world around her. She happily stretched and swayed, confidently showing off the beauty she acquired from the tender love and care she garnered from the bright world outside of her shell.
Suddenly, the beauty and peace of the flower's world was disrupted when a huge earthquake hit. All around the delicate flower, the world she had learned to love and depend on fell away. Rocks crumbled, trees fell, the grass was overtaken by the dust and dirt that emerged from underneath. The shaky ground swung her from side to side, making her confused and dizzy. The dust clouded the air around her, suffocating the sunlight from her. And the crumbling rocks and falling trees pounded down on her, crushing her petals and flattening her stems.
When the earthquake finally passed, the poor flower took a look at the world around her. It was unrecognizable. The peace and comfort she had once found in this world was lost in the wreckage and ruin of the disaster that had come through. She was beaten and bruised, battered and broken. She was no longer the beautiful flower she once was. Now she was only a snapped stem, some torn leaves, and a handful of wilted petals.
Then the dust started to settle. As it cleared out of the air around her, she felt the sunlight again. The flower lifted her poor crushed petals toward the familiar warmth and began to draw in the strength she used to know so well. Then the soft, refreshing rain began, and she was comforted further. Her roots found the nourishment they needed to once again support her and make her flourish again. The flower realized that everything would probably be okay. Different, but okay. And she started to become the beautiful flower she was before.
Suddenly, a huge boulder came out of no where and landed right on top of the flower, completely crushing her and destroying her forever.
The End.
The moral of the story: Hope sets you up for disappointment. Stay inside your shell where it's safe.
The flower carefully pushed her way out of the safety of the seed and through the ground to join the colors of the world above. As she timidly poked herself out of the ground, she was greeted with the gentle caress of the wind, the warmth of the sun, and the refreshness of the falling rain. "This is wonderful" thought the flower. "Why did I waste so much time hiding in the cold, dark, lonely ground when this world was right outside?"
As the flower continued to soak in this new life, she grew strong and beautiful. She blossomed into a colorful, fragrant, lovely part of the world around her. She happily stretched and swayed, confidently showing off the beauty she acquired from the tender love and care she garnered from the bright world outside of her shell.
Suddenly, the beauty and peace of the flower's world was disrupted when a huge earthquake hit. All around the delicate flower, the world she had learned to love and depend on fell away. Rocks crumbled, trees fell, the grass was overtaken by the dust and dirt that emerged from underneath. The shaky ground swung her from side to side, making her confused and dizzy. The dust clouded the air around her, suffocating the sunlight from her. And the crumbling rocks and falling trees pounded down on her, crushing her petals and flattening her stems.
When the earthquake finally passed, the poor flower took a look at the world around her. It was unrecognizable. The peace and comfort she had once found in this world was lost in the wreckage and ruin of the disaster that had come through. She was beaten and bruised, battered and broken. She was no longer the beautiful flower she once was. Now she was only a snapped stem, some torn leaves, and a handful of wilted petals.
Then the dust started to settle. As it cleared out of the air around her, she felt the sunlight again. The flower lifted her poor crushed petals toward the familiar warmth and began to draw in the strength she used to know so well. Then the soft, refreshing rain began, and she was comforted further. Her roots found the nourishment they needed to once again support her and make her flourish again. The flower realized that everything would probably be okay. Different, but okay. And she started to become the beautiful flower she was before.
Suddenly, a huge boulder came out of no where and landed right on top of the flower, completely crushing her and destroying her forever.
The End.
The moral of the story: Hope sets you up for disappointment. Stay inside your shell where it's safe.