The transition from winter into spring is both quiet and fierce. As flowers gently push through the earth, the wind forces its way through the pines. The brilliant blue sky is accented by leisurely wbarren trees and clouds while last year’s lifeless grass seems to grow tall and green overnight.

I tend to walk around the yard more than normal, looking for clues as to how the season progresses. Yesterday I found this daffodil growing from last summer’s brush pile. 

It was likely mixed in with debris and weeds cleared from a nearby flower bed last year, mistaken for a near invasive species that I worked hard to eradicate. 

Imagine being that poor flower, uprooted from home and thrown into the trash because of a serious case of mistaken identity. 

Yet it grows. 

In fact, it reached through a tangle of debris to create a new home for itself and grow into a beautiful flower. 

It gives new and literal meaning to the phrase “bloom where you are planted.”

It’s also a gentle reminder that someone else’s poor choice to mistreat you or to toss you aside should not determine your future. Define your own future. Thrive just to spite them. Make your surroundings better because you can. 

The world will be better for it too.