The flowers do it every day.

“Just existing on some days is more than enough. The flowers do it every day and they add beauty to the world just by being here.”

Nikita Gill

“Today, I am a flower.”

I dare you; say that with a straight face, with authority.

Spring has just sprung. Soon, we will be experiencing flowers in full bloom.

And the common agreement is that flowers are beautiful.

Roses. Tulips. Lilacs. Gardenias. Daisies.

On and on.

What’s your reaction when I tell you that you are on par with those flowers… right now.

Yes, you. Yes, now.

Do you agree?

Or are you trying to prove that you are the anti-flower?

You may believe you have real, authentic reasons for that assertion.

I can hear you right now.

Why can I hear you?

Because I have tried to talk myself out of my own flower value so many times before.

“But, But, But…”

Sound familiar?

You and I are clucking away with those large “but’s.”

But, But, But…

Some tried and true anti-flower arguments?

“But I’m wearing sweatpants…”

What are you wearing, right now, as you read this?

Are you dressed in formal wear? How about business attire? Sunday best?

It’s not about critiquing personal style, spending exorbitant amounts of cash on designer labels, or shaming someone for not “doing their best.”

In fact, “doing their best” can often be part of the problem here.

Sometimes, life is sweatpants, clothes with stains on them, and looking more comfortable than aesthetically pleasing.

Is it laundry day? Are we dealing with children or other people who require our caregiving abilities? Are we not feeling well, be in a flu, Covid, or something like cancer or an injury that slows us down to a crawl, at best.

Yes?

Then, more than likely, you are probably wearing sweatpants.

And you’re every bit the flower in doing so.

If you are struggling with life, in any way, I give you my full blessing to wear those symbolic or literal sweatpants.

You are surviving, let alone, you are doing whatever necessitates wearing these pants; that is beautiful enough.

Flower enough.

You are the petals. Your pants are the stems.

Go with it!

But I didn’t get my “to-do” list accomplished…

Here we are, yet again. A case for us as human doings, rather than human beings.

Very anti-flower!

What did we do today? What are we doing with our lives?

No unconditional, inherent value? Are we only as good as our productivity?

Really?

So, on any given day, any flower is just pressuring itself to get tasks done? It’s making a list, maybe even a spreadsheet, complete with other flowers’ responsibilities, chores, and schedules?

Come on!

Flowers bloom and create their fragrances on a strict chop-chop timeline? And then, if those goals aren’t accomplished, the flowers immediately berate themselves, calling themselves names for the rest of the week?

Of course not. Flowers just do what they do, without any shame.

Yes, I know. We are different than flowers. We must do things; we have schedules and responsibilities. We don’t “just bloom.”

But there can be a middle ground, perhaps, between blooming flower and oppressive taskmaster, accomplishing every impossible thing known to man.

Within many therapy approaches, part of the healing process involves us taking personal ownership for what we brought to each day, as is.

What did we do well?

It is literally that question.

And many of us, out of the gate, are already negative, devaluing anything about ourselves.

How about us getting out of bed?  How about us trying to get through the day? How about us not giving up?

Do we give ourselves any credit for that?

But I’m not perfect…

Let’s really up the ante: perfection.

Ah, great!

Perfection is a nebulous, constantly moving target. And it’s impossible. It negates all effort and intention. It simply demands unrealistic results.

We talk ourselves out of a lot of things, all because we don’t measure up to some out-of-reach standard. All or nothing.

But how many times have we seen an imperfect flower? Something with a petal missing? Something that is not exactly the “as advertised,” typical shade of color that a flower is supposed to be?

Flowers exist and are often imperfect. And it can happen on any given day.

Therefore, we can apply thew same sentiment to ourselves.

We exist and are imperfect. That can happen on any given day.

But I’m not him/her…

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

It’s an often-uttered quote. I give you numerous variations on the concept…

“Comparison is the death of joy.”

Mark Twain

“Comparison with something that is better is the thief of joy.”

Theodore Roosevelt

“The death of contentment is comparison.”

 Steven Furtick

“The research shows that the happier the person, the less attention she pays to how others around her are doing.”

Sonia Lyubomirsky

You get the point.

Does a tulip compare itself against a daisy?

Does a rose run itself down when it sees a lily?

Nope.

So, why do we play the losing game of rate competing against someone else?

Physical appearance? Their jobs? Their marriages? Anything and everything about their lives?

What gets stolen when we loom outside of ourselves, to assess our own value?

Odds are, it is things like time, energy, self-esteem, and positive mental health.

Accept your flowering every day.

You are already doing it. Bask in that. Celebrate that. Heal within that reality.

You are flower enough.

“Today, I am a flower.”

Say it! Live it!

Copyright © 2024 by Sheryle Cruse