A small story
Once upon a time,
There was a small sapling trying to push its way up through the cold hard ground and into the sunlight. The sun was shining so brightly and warm the little sapling thought it might overheat. But the sun warmed the ground where its roots were kept cosy and snug. The small sapling new that this opportunity would not come every day, so it took in as much heat as it could, staying warm well after the sun hid behind clouds.
When the rains came, the little sapling opened wide its branches to the falling drops. It soaked in as much of the moisture as it could, letting the drops fall to the ground so its roots could drink too. It drank, and it drank, and it drank. The small sapling new that this opportunity would not come every day, so it soaked in as much as it could, staying nourished well after the grounds became dry.
When the winds came, the small sapling was blown this way and that. Sometimes it would sway with the wind, and sometimes it would work hard to remain upright. The stronger the wind blew, the harder it worked. The small sapling new that this opportunity would not come every day, so it worked as hard as it could, staying strong well after the winds ceased to blow.
When the day came that there was no sun, no rain, no wind, the little sapling took rest. Quietly, it stood still – warm from when the sun it shone, quenched from when the rains fell, and strong from when the winds blew. Having taken advantage of the opportunity given by the sun and the rain and the wind, regardless of whether it felt ready to receive them, the small sapling understood that, in the quiet and the calm, it had grown to be a sapling a little less small than the day before.
The small sapling smiled and opened its small branches to the universe and was grateful. It might not be as great and grand as the oak or the ash that had long since been weathered the elements, but with perseverance when it blew and acceptance when it rained and embracing the sun when it shone, it knew it too would be great and grand one day.
Just like you.