Tulips, rain, and change

Who knows what tomorrow will bring. An overused phrase which so many of us ignore until we can not ignore it any longer. Most of us crave the known and standard, we crave doing the same thing everyday and knowing that tomorrow will be just like today. When faced with something new, we recoil in fear which sometimes manifests itself in anger or sadness. Take the case of a car dying, and needing to procure a new one. Sure we might be a little sad if we really liked our old car or it had sentimental value, but more likely we are upset by the fact that we need to get something new which might be worse or cause more adventure that we really want on a daily basis.

What happens when our personal life, our professional life, our family life all begin to change at once? If we see people get upset with such simple things as having to move offices while keeping the exact same job, what effect can be expected when they get bombarded with change as a hard rain on a fresh tulip? It will begin to bend with the weight of each drop. Being battered by the wind first to the left, then to the right, not in control at all just trying to face up for that is where the sun will once more appear. Eventually if there is enough water that falls into the face of the tulip, it will bend to face down and possibly break. Sometimes the tulip is smart and will face down to protect itself, turning its bell to look at its very roots. Alas many of these flowers keep their face pointed down for so long, they forget to turn to the sun when the storm has passed. Days, weeks, months may go by, and they will eventually starve to the point of exhaustion and death because they are so busy protecting themselves, they don’t take the chance to put their neck out to catch the sun so critical for life. So which is better? To keep our bell upwards, risk catching all the rain drops which will force us to stagger under their weight and risk breaking, or to bend our face down to the ground protected from the rain and hoping to catch just enough sun to scratch through life? (and you think at 25 I have this answer???)

The tulip faces great rewards or great pain with both choices. There is a time to protect, and there is a time to be open. But when there are two tulips, or better yet three, that can help support each other in the rain, then we have a fighting chance. Then we can face that rain storm knowing if one shall bend, the others can support it until the water has drained.

So E, it is understandable to protect oneself when the rain hits. To put on that rain slicker and try to take cover. We have all felt the cutting pain of those cold drops on bare skin at some point. We want nothing more than to curl up and protect what we have left. How you have survived the constant onslaught on rain storms for so long, is a testament to the power of your inner soul. But like Florida who thought they would never survive the onslaught on countless hurricanes, so will you survive and come out stronger, with a new house, a better job, closer friends, and a new outlook on life. So don’t move to Montana to escape the hurricane (there is nothing to do there anyway), but trust in yourself, look toward the sky and the sun and grow stronger everyday!