A Flower that Blooms at its Own Pace

More than ten years ago I received a few bulbs of lilies, my favorite flowers, from an acquaintance. I planted the bulbs in our front yard and it turns out that the bulbs that I thought all the same were actually two groups of different species of lilies. What species are they exactly I do not have the slightest idea. All I know is that the pink ones bloom continuously throughout the year. But the other one, the fiery red-orange variant, is elusive. It blooms at a certain time of the year only, during the hottest months, April to May. After May, the flowers start dying altogether, and stops blooming, until the next year again, in the same months.

What makes these flowers so special and so engrossing to me, beside their beauty of course, is how seldom they bloom. They were there for only two months; two months to admire their beauty, and then they're gone. It's like a reminder how something beautiful can also be ephemeral. Perhaps it's the transitory nature of things and events that will make us appreciate them more.

The red-orange lily also remind me of another thing. The flower blooms at its own pace, not thinking of competing to the flower next to it. Yes, all flowers are equally beautiful, so does it really matter which one blooms first? They don’t beg for attention and open up when they are ready. Same is also true to every person. We bloom at our own pace. Every one is consumed on running the race to cross the finish line first. And in this process, we seek for approval from others about our decisions and desperately try to prove ourselves and our worth. There are times that competition is appropriate, but life is definitely NOT one of them. Remember, before a flower can bloom it has to be prepared and it waits until its season comes. Just like us, we have to wait for our own season to bloom. We all have our own time. Appreciate where you are and do not compare yourself to others. Let us not try to rush our growth and bypass the lessons that must be learned, because each season, each stage of growth, reveals amazing aspects of ourselves... just like this elusive red-orange flower.