As I was driving to work on Monday morning, as usual, I drove by one of the neighborhood swimming pools and my attention was caught by a tiny azalea bush. It was planted under the shade of the oak trees in the red clay soil, never mulched or fertilized. It was tiny and feeble, compared to the azalea bushes across from the street, which received plenty of sunshine and were covered with a thick layer of mulch.
Despite the apparent disadvantage, the azalea was covered with gorgeous crimson flowers. It was doing what it was supposed to be doing, growing, and blooming, despite the not so optimal environment. This azalea reminded me of us, humans, when we are placed in hostile, not favorable and stressing conditions.
We have the option to succumb to our fears, or we can choose to be who we are and still thrive even under difficult circumstances. For we tend to grow the most when we are facing challenges, when the soil is parched, when we are lost in the weeds and when we cannot see the light through the shade.