Write Team: Smile like Gus

I saw a flower growing in the most surprising spot.

A single, pink petunia blossom was waving in the breeze, having pushed its way up through a skinny crack in the concrete. The stem was wedged in-between a step and the sidewall of the stairs at a church rectory. Nothing else was growing around it; lots of cement and that one flower. No dirt, no fertilizer, nothing else.

I’ve been thinking about that lone flower all week. How did it grow through that tiny crack and survive? It wasn’t as if somebody dropped a seed down there. The location was certainly not ideal for anything to sprout up.

But despite the odds, there it was. Very unexpectedly.

Sometimes people end up in unexpected places, too. Somewhere they never thought they would go. Somewhere not very welcoming.

And that might be scary.

Yet they thrive and grow and bring joy to others, ignoring the naysayers who think they don’t belong.

“Bloom where you are planted” is exactly what each of us should do. Even if we feel hesitant or not very brave, keep going because there will be others who will be encouraged by you. People will be inspired to go to new places and stand tall even if some think they don’t belong. A little courage turns into so much more.

We must embrace our talents and gifts. Each of us is unique. Just as importantly, we must support and encourage others. Even people who may not look like us or fit into some mold we have formed in our minds of what proper people should be.

So if you should see someone on a stage who is celebrating a loved one, take a good look at what is truly there because that is love; a pure, simple and completely spontaneous gift of love.

What this world needs is more scenes like that. These glimpses of positive emotions are bigger than any disability or difference. If only we can learn to drop the negativity and see what can happen when we accept and help each other.

It is NEVER OK to make fun of someone who has other-abilities. Say it louder for the folks in the back ... NEVER.

Everyone has issues, illnesses and conditions to deal with in life. All of us. Some are simply more visible than others.

We are all different. Embrace it. Encourage it.

It is disheartening to hear people ridicule others. I don’t understand why someone would make deliberately cruel remarks publicly and privately that are only meant to cause pain and embarrassment. We should be better than that.

At the end of the day, heartless statements showcase the pettiness of those who claim to be knowledgeable. They have shown us who they really are.

I believe there are many decent, respectful people in the world who outnumber the negative. They must raise their voices in a positive way and grow tall because it is the honorable, right thing to do.

Smile like Gus.

He is blooming right where he is planted.

Karen Roth is a semiretired librarian/educator living in Ottawa. She can be reached at dbarichello@shawmedia.com.