When is it?
Why? How? What...makes us change?
What compels growth in an infertile world;
where are we now and who were we when?
Time..perhaps.
That "tick," that "tock," the brusk knock of the clock. We all get the wake-up calls no one asked for.
But lo, time is not change, it is only the foundation.
Change is organic, they say. Change is natural, they say. And yet, life persists, static........
Without a direction, change never comes. Without action, we are only but a pile of thoughts: an anthill of wasted ambition, a river of dreams. Dust.
I once heard, "good things come to those who wait."
but, at the same time:
"A watched pot never boils."
...at some point you. me. he. she. I.... need to turn on the burner.
Because really, growth comes from within. It is not the product of time, it is not a class, a grade, a notch on the scale that paints you a number; growth is taking a chance.
Look above, feel the shade of the tree. That solid, growing tree that came before you, and will live without you. It knows growth, it knows life..we should be so lucky.
It reaches for a sun it will never hold, and yet it grows, unabated, free.
I envy you.
Not only was this blog post incredibly well written, it really made me think. The references made by the author were strong enough for him/her to “own” it with a personality of their own, while still allowing the reader room to connect with it on a personal level, applying it to our own lives.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I was not able to follow was the differentiation between the sayings. “Good things come to those who wait,” and, “A watched pot never boils.” It seems as if the author is attempting to position the two quotes as contradictory, whereas I do not read them as such. Even though one might not be actively watching said proverbial pot, it does not mean a lack of waiting, but merely of distraction in the mean time to make time go by faster. Because of this disconnect, the following action in the post of “turning on the burner” does not resonate with me, while I do admire the metaphor.
I absolutely adore the last paragraph, “Look above, feel the shade of the tree. That solid, growing tree that came before you, and will live without you. It knows growth, it knows life… we should be so lucky. It reaches for a sun it will never hold, and yet it grows, unabated, free. I envy you.” What powerful correlations and imagery! The “look above” not only functions as a part of the narrative, but prompts the reader to literally look above the post to the picture of the tree towering over us, allowing us to interact with the text and positioning us as the protagonist. Additionally, the juxtaposition between the plants dependence on the sun and its freedom are mind blowing. The sun is so unattainable, and as humans in western culture we are programed to view this as a shortcoming, a failure; however, here the plant is still free, able to grow and flourish.
An incredibly thought provoking blog post. Bravo!