“Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without mud.”–Thích Nhất Hạnh
FAcing Difficult Days 😟
How many of us have endured through difficult and murky situations? How many more of us have observed/supported a loved one undergoing a dark and/or dire situation? Whether it is personal suffering or suffering of a loved one, we have all either experienced or observed painfully dark days; I know I have.
Sometimes the difficulty can create so much suffering, it feels as if a pack of wolves have hunted us down, snipped and yipped at our heels, and are now chewing away at our insides. Sleep may no longer feel like an escape, and even if part of the difficulty causes physical pain, it is often the pain caused by our own minds and heart that can hurt the most.
Quotes to Get you Through 📝
There are a couple of quotes and an image I have come to appreciate over the years. They tend to come to mind when I feel knocked down by life. I think of them as a mental antidote for counteracting my fear when facing down a difficult situation.
Keep getting up no matter how many times you fall.
One quote is a Japanese proverb: “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” This saying is hope-centric, and it means a great deal to me. It serves as a reminder that no matter how many times we make a mistake or life events knock us down, we must still find a way to get back up. This doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes, all we can do is claw, crawl, and clatter until we find the resolve and strength to stand once more.
Rise like the sun
Another inspiring quote by Maya Angelou: “Still I rise.” While the author writes of her oppressive and challenging experiences as a black woman, the phrase’s universal theme of resilience in the face of struggles can speak to all of us. Those three words are filled with a bold defiance in the face of suffering.
Lotus are Adaptable 🪷
Both of those quotes culminate in the symbol of the lotus, the ultimate emblem of perseverance and tenacity. This aquatic flowering plant has been admired and a part of lore for centuries. The more colorful lotus are tropical in nature and are most notably found in Asian countries. However, the lotus plant is quite adaptable, and an American variation can be found along the east coast in waters ranging from Ontario, Canada to Florida.
Lotus Persist 🌱
Because the lotus plant grows in a variety of environments, it has developed a method of ensuring its continuation. Once pollinated, the lotus releases large quantities of seeds into the environment. Many of these seeds will be eaten by aquatic life; however, the seeds, as I understand it, are quite durable. Some lotus’ seeds can get up to 1.5 inches in size, surviving for several years, long past the life of the flower. In fact, the seeds can persist in conditions that would prevent many other types of seeds from germinating.
Lotus Aren’t AFraid of The Dark 🌑
Once germinated, the seeds begin sprouting in the mud, sending roots down even deeper into the muck. Depending upon the plant and the depth of water, it can take from two weeks to two months for the plant to grow up to six feet tall through the murky water. As the round leaves reach the top of the water they can fan out in width up to 36+ inches wide. Once the plant has fully surfaced, the flower will begin to grow and ultimately bloom.
Short life, Deeply rooted 🙏
Each American Lotus flower, with its butter yellow petals and fragrant aroma, will only last a few days, opening its petals during the day and closing the petals at night. The blossom appears to be free floating, but it remains rooted in the mud. During its short duration, the flower will bear seed pods that resemble the end of a watering can or shower head, ensuring multiple seeds from each flower will be dispersed back into its environment.
Lotuses ShaRe 🫱 🫲
Both the seeds and roots can be eaten, and parts of the plant can be used for medicinal purposes. Seeds pods can be dried and used in flower arrangement. Additionally, due to the fact that lotus flourish easily in a variety of areas, even in the murkiest of waters, these plants provide shelter, habitat, and food for a variety of aquatic wildlife. Each fall, however, the plants die away.
Gifts can arise from dark places
Therefore, the lotus is a prime example of the way in which gifts can rise from the darkest of places. Despite the fact the lotus is born in the mud, it rises to stand victoriously every spring. Upon rising, its blossoms bear seeds to ensure it has a way to stand back up.
Seeds of hope, help, and healing
Beyond the fact the lotus has planned for its inevitable fall, it also offers seeds of hope and nourishment for others. Each flower produces an overabundance of seeds, many of which will settle into the mud for rebirth, but many more of those seeds will provide food for other living creatures. Additionally, those mud-buried lotus roots also provide nourishment not only to the plant itself, but can also nourish others. Not to mention that the plant has medicinal qualities, offers shelter to others within its aquatic community, and beautifies a variety of environments.
Lotus Life 𑁍
Let us live like the lotus flower. When we experience those dark and difficult times in our life, let us root down into the loam of our soul and allow faith to germinate a seed of hope. By rooting through the muck and into the nourishment of our faith, we can rise. It may take weeks, months, or even years, but we can rise and blossom once more.
Once on the surface, it is our job to produce good seeds of hope and help for others. Even if our calm waters fade away and we find ourselves sinking into the inky dark once more, still we can rise. We have done it before; we can do it again. And with each new revival, our blooms can continue to offer more gifts to the world. No matter how darkly rooted our past or present was/is, no matter the number of times it occurs, we can stand up, we can rise, we can bloom, and we can embody the lotus, offering shelter, nourishment, and healing hope to others.
Steph Simply 