I’m at a time in my life where I have the opportunity to face a series of challenges. I must grow. There is no other option. And I want to. But growing always has its pains. A bit of pain almost always accompanies change. But when we can see where we are upon our trajectory, the hardness does not have to become us. The hardness can simply be an external, environmental phase to which we have the autonomy to react or not react.
In the midst of these challenges, I remembered this painting I made a few years ago…
I painted this at an ashram in Bali. I was there because I needed to think about who I was going to be for the next chapter of my life. There were role models I could look up to for inspiration. But they had already achieved so much. While the potential of my future was exciting, the accomplishments of these figures also made me feel overshadowed and small.
This young palm spoke outside my room spoke to me. As observers, the destiny of this palm seems so obvious to us. It will grow tall and thrive just like its predecessors. That’s its nature. The young palm will surely face challenges though – competition, hunger, thirst. From the plant’s perspective, survival probably does not seem to inevitable.
Coconuts are dotted along the ground to show that even though the young palm seems so young and vulnerable, it is in fact quite far along its development compared to where it originally started. So small it seems next to those tall adult palms. But next to the coconuts, it seems so promising with its root network, seasoned leaves and trunk.
We are always weaker than some and always stronger than some. Rather than get hung up comparing ourselves to others, we have the opportunity to simply enjoy wherever we find ourselves on our trajectory.
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