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“I can’t take this anymore”.
“This discomfort is killing me”
“How much longer till I’m drowned by this strange circumstance?”
“I was not made for this…I was not configured to go through this…”
Those were her thoughts as she sat down, curled up in the dark. In the desert place of her heart, she longed for love, for warmth, for a light of hope no matter how tiny. Yeah, she’d been through some tough times but nothing in her past prepared her for what she was facing now. Perhaps there might have been a warning she failed to heed, or maybe a signal she did not receive. But this, this was way too much to handle.
Have you ever been in that place where you feel you’ve reached your breaking point? Like water in a pot on fire, you feel that any extra heat will cause you to boil over into the fire. You feel like there’s no more fight in you for this battle. In short, you have reached your elastic limit. You’re now at the point beyond which you simply cannot take any more push.
I’ve learnt to pay attention to life, to nature and to everything around me because lessons come our way in ways we least expect. While we’re so busy looking to the skies for answers, we miss the flowers budding, the butterfly’s metamorphosis and the ant colony building diligently.
Truth is, if you’re going through it, it’s because you can handle it. I have realized that we are just like desert plants. Those plants are subjected to the most intense heat yet they do not wither in fear. They are subjected to extremely cold conditions and yet they do not become extinct as a result.
Allow me to tell you about two special types of desert plants: Xerophytes (The ‘X’) and Phreatophytes (The ‘P’)
The Xs have learnt to adapt to their lifestyle by replacing traditional leaves with spines and thorns. These spines and thorns help it retain moisture and prevent excessive loss. An X is a defensive person, who has developed mechanisms and attitudes as a result of the situation in which they have found themselves. They close up their lives to love and are not even willing to show any love. They become withdrawn and attack anyone that makes an attempt at getting close. They are bitter people.
The Ps adapt by growing their roots extremely deep into the ground. The farther into the desert sand the roots extend, the more likely the plants will be able to tap into the water beneath…and that’s how they survive.
Wouldn’t you rather be a P person? A P is a strong person who gets better because of the situation, she digs deep until she finds the lessons…the message and the reason for which she is going through. Armed with these lessons, she survives and comes out wiser and in a better position to help another person.
You do not have to be an ‘X'; walking around with heavy shoulders and your issues written all over your face. You can be a ‘P’…strong, determined, resilient, capable and free. Those are the kinds of women that make better homes and a better community.
Stay blessed!
Ogochukwu Okonji is a young lady who loves to inspire and motivate people. She does not see herself as a writer but loves to write.
She is driven by a desire to see positive changes in the life of everyone she meets either with her spoken words or written words. Ogochukwu loves babies and is constantly fascinated by new-borns. She draws inspiration from everything she sees, hears, feels and experieinces. Her writings can be found at HeartSpeak .
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