When Flowers Bloom.

Submitted into Contest #86 in response to: Write a story where flowers play a central role.... view prompt

3 comments

Inspirational Teens & Young Adult

 I dream that one day the world will be different than it is now.


My mind spins through pictures of soft airy skies and plush fields of grass. I am in a dress, twirling aimlessly with a smile of fulfillment on my face. I have never been happier.


The wind and I are one. Constantly in sync with one another. I learn to follow the wind; to go where it leads me. I am not alone in my dream. I am surrounded by people. Everyone is unique in their own way, but not one is more beautiful than the other. Each one of us knows our own beauty. We spend our days in the field, the wind rippling through us. We never second guess ourselves, the wind is our leader. We are free spirits, full of joy. We don't question the flow of our movements. We are graceful.


When it rains, we are nourished. We allow each droplet of tangible water to soak into our skin. There is no rush for the sun to beam upon us, but when it does, we are filled with beams of color. Each of us has a different hue of radiance. 


We have a purpose, just as the fields before us had. Soon will come our time to be extracted from the earth's surface and submerged into water. All of us are picked just the same, but transported to different places, for different purposes.


Some of us are bought as a gift. We are placed in the hands of a newly engaged woman. She looks upon us with a twinkle of happiness in her eyes. She is in awe of our beauty, just as we are in awe of hers. The hands of a freshly graduated student encompasses our bodies. We emulate a round of applause from our beautiful faces. We are a sense of gratitude in a time of accomplishment. We are the symbolization of a future. We offer congratulations.


Others are purchased as an apology. They dwell in the hands of a person with a shattered heart. Tears of sorrow fall upon them, they are reminded of the rain that once nourished their bodies. They are held less than those bought as a gift. They are sympathetically purchased. Sometimes placed in a vase on a window sill, and looked upon for remembrance. They are a sense of hope in a time of grief. They are a hug in a time of loneliness. They are an apology for an unreconciled relationship. They offer condolences.


My dream is meaningful. I dream of freeness in spirit. I dream to have knowledge of my beauty, and to never doubt it. I dream that every person would be seen with equal beauty, just as flowers are. I dream of peace and unity in all the fields of the world. 


I dream that we would use our beauty in spirit to comfort and show love to those around us. I dream that love would not be taken so lightly, or be made so complicated. I dream that respect would flow freely through the air that we breath. I dream of a world where every person sees themselves for their beauty not their flaws. 


When I awake from my dream, my heart is sad. I am overcome by the realization that love is complicated, and scary. That the people of the world haven't made the conscious effort to see each other for their similarities, or to appreciate their differences. I see myself in the mirror and still question some of my features. I long to grasp my dreams. I am left with the overbearing weight of uncertainty. How will I ever make this change on my own? 


It's time for me to be truthful to myself. I can't change the actions of the people in the world, I will never be able to. I cannot simplify the way others love, and take away the pain that trails behind it. I will never be able to lift the blinds of judgement from the world's eyes. 


I feel a sense of heartache fill my body. I feel as though the world will never change. I will never be seen for the person I truly am, and I will remain in a world where respect and dignity are stagnant.


 I break free from my doubts, and allow my petals to regain their hue. I make a decision to let the wind lead me and to flow freely and accept life. I choose not to complicate love for myself. I cull to look at the people around me and see their beauty. I make my dreams a reality. 


I spend every day transformed. I become the flower. My spirit is gliding through life, slowly grabbing those around me. I leave a pleasant aroma wherever I drift. I work on overcoming my judgements of not only those around me, but also myself. I choose to see the differences in people. I recognize how our differences make us beautiful. I love without the fear of rejection or abandonment. I love wholeheartedly, and equally. When the rain of life comes, I allow it to nourish me instead of drown me. I see all people equally, and realize that not one is more beautiful than another. I no longer look to critique the features of my body in the mirror. I chose to look into my own eyes and focus on the light. I allow the sun to paint my face serenely. I realize that my soul is beautiful.


I come to terms with the fact that I may not be able to change the world. Not everyone will think how I think, or love how I love. Instead of letting the world impact me, I decide to impact the world. Everyday I wake up with the same dream. My dream is to begin the change. I am a free spirit, filled with joy, and the wind and I are one. I surround myself with people that are in sync with the wind and myself.  Little by little we make my dream a reality. We learn to find our purpose. We start to bloom. We become the flowers in the world.



March 19, 2021 16:33

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3 comments

Rachel Loughran
11:52 Mar 27, 2021

What a lovely story! I just have one comment which I hope you find helpful: ‘ I cull to look at the people around me and see their beauty.’ Is ‘cull’ the intended word there? I’m not sure I know what you mean if so! Great work though, I enjoyed reading it a lot!

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Lilliana Sheldon
17:50 Mar 29, 2021

Hello, thank you so much for your comment! Yes, cull was the word I intended to use. The definition of cull is: "select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources." In other words cull can be a synonym to the word choose. I felt that cull was a better word than choose because I find that their are many different choices on how I can see people. I don't know if that helped clear up my intentions. Thanks again!

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Rachel Loughran
14:58 Mar 30, 2021

Hi Lilliana, thanks for coming back to me! That's interesting, contextually that makes sense, but had I immediately gone to the connotations of 'cull' that are negative, like culling animals or culling damaged food produce etc. I'm glad I asked! I love parsing sentences or overanalysing word choice with people and funnily enough, every day life doesn't give me many opportunities! So thank you!

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