"HER"

When I saw her, it was from a distance. I was intrigued by her beauty. It was clear, even from afar, that she was out of place. She never said a word, but I could feel her calling me to come closer. Her gaze was luring me to her, like I was being magnetically abducted, but I was more than willing to go. I looked around as I approached her, taking in the surroundings, and then my focus shifted to her. My heart broke for her, and questions arose in my mind like a flash flood.

How did she get here? Why was she put here, in this place, where the odds were stacked against her? How had she managed alone? Why, through no wrongdoing of her own, had she been sentenced to this lifetime of solitary confinement? How did she manage to stand with such strength and confidence amid all of this? Tears filled my eyes like the rain fills wells and poured down my face like shower water. How had she survived in this morgue of desolation? She was surrounded by bleakness, although she appeared unaffected by it, as if each breeze had blown the hopelessness away.

She was completely alone, blatantly abandoned, obviously unnurtured, neglected, and counted out. Yet here she was in this fractured, desolate sea of cement, a lone survivor, thriving in a place where no one thought she would grow. I was staring down at the most beautiful, the most resilient, the most breathtaking marigold I had ever seen. I could not wrap my mind around how monumental it was that she was even here for me to see, and I wept like a grieving widow. My tears fell on her like raindrops of liquid pain for all that she had undoubtedly grown through, and then it hit me. The electric connection that I felt to her suddenly made perfect sense. Realization crashed over me like waves on rocks, and I felt enlightened. I wasn't in her presence by chance. There was a profound message in our encounter, divinely designed just for me, and it encouraged, empowered, and refreshed me. I wiped my face and smiled down at her. She was a beautiful creation who had flourished despite her circumstances and had risen above everything that should have suppressed her, destroyed her, and killed her. She was miraculously stronger than, brighter than, and taller than most marigolds, and had become exactly what she was destined to be, even in a situation that should have made that impossible. She had grown into the best version of herself, and I knew that as I walked away.

I left that place and took with me a renewed perspective, a revived spirit, and a rejuvenated mind. It was as if she had somehow imprinted on me like a werewolf, and I often reflect on that phenomenal encounter. I find it strangely amazing, mind blowing even, how certain people, places, and things can change you, impact you, and make you better. I needed that revelation, and because she was where she was supposed to be, she was able to give me a timeless, priceless gift that continues to help me on the difficult days. That should be our goal as individuals. We should use our gifts, as well as every opportunity and resource that we are given, to uplift other people the way that rare, floral gem did for me. Every time I begin to feel or think that my situation is too hard, too unfair, or too impossible, I think of that marigold, and I remember that I too, am that strength and that resilience. I remind myself that I too, have that confidence. I tell myself that I possess that beauty, and that I am also that purposed. I look in the mirror everyday and I know that I am her.