The Rose is a Rose

These days, I don’t wear much else than some kind of a high-waist pant, tank, and blazer combo because well, hello corporate. If I’m feeling particularly fussy, I’ll even go for a pretty dress. Can I be bothered? More importantly, did I shave?

There’s comfort to having a uniform (I’ve written about it countless times before). It’s steady, it’s reliable, it’s effortless. Kind of like your high school sweetheart best girlfriends: always there for you no matter what, never failing to make you feel your best. And yet I can’t help but feel as if I’ve fallen into a rut. My wardrobe isn’t to blame—though it wouldn’t mind an upgrade or two—but it’s the easiest to scapegoat. Truth is, I’ve been in a creative void as of late, and neither a bright new lipstick nor a brand new bag could fix it.

In an attempt to regain inspiration, I’ve been trying to start my day with a quick morning read. Paulo Coelho’s blog is a long-time favorite for something beautiful or enlightening. An older post caught my eye and couldn’t have come at a better time; Coelho quotes author W. Timothy Gallwey:

“When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice that it is small, but we do not criticize it as ‘rootless and stemless.’ We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed.

When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don’t condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development.

The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.“

A note to self, and one to you, too: treat yourself as you would your best friend. You may hate her weekly marathon of Nicholas Spark films, or find her inability to make a decision incredibly irritating, but in the end, you still love her and forgive her for all her faults.

Give yourself the same courtesy, too.

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