"I Am Growth"

(Clickbait-ish, gotcha now read anyway thanks)

What happens when you open your eyes to the world, seeing layers upon layers of reality in clear light,understanding that nothing is what you thought it was? For the weaker hearted, their mind is shattered,an earthquake tearing through their being that rips them into shreds,floating in cold space,nothing to centre them,no point to anchor.For the ones with a firmer hold on themselves, it is but a shake,a mild disturbance,a falter in their steps,then they adapt and conform to the changes,walking along just as steadily.Which one are you?

I was the former.As a toddler,untrusting and scared,as a grade schooler,timid and shy and a puppet under my parents’ skillful fingers.Often did hear the words, ‘not good enough’,felt them too,but shielded by the healthy lifestyle they taught me,for both body and mind,I grew unperturbed,stuck in a rose tinted bubble the same as my glasses.Blissfully unaware.

Then comes the time where your consciousness develops.It’s like a thunderstorm, a frightening and beautiful chaos: on one hand wanting to run away and take shelter in the safety of that bubble again,but on the other,embracing the pain of torrential downpour,the rattling claps of thunder,the glorious forks of lightning.Tip your face up to the sky and close your eyes, the rain,the wind, the lights flashing behind your lids...that’s freedom.That’s a personality of your own blooming and expanding,winding through your consciousness and rooting itself into your soul, finally giving you something to call your own.That’s you.

Next is development.Like a sapling,this newly formed personality is tender and delicate, like water,it tends to mold itself into the shapes of its containers at first.Caution is required,a good moral compass is necessary.Much like the plant, it holds basic strength from its predecessors. Your personality is shaped by your upbringing,and that is the truth.But once you open your eyes,you’ll be able to pick out the good from the bad,make your own choices and decisions and thus leave your footprints along the path you take.

Along the way, you’ll face fears, obstacles,frustrations.Nobody is who you thought them to be,nothing is as it seems.As you advance from a young child into an adult who is supposed to take on the world alone, the only constant is a cycle of falling and getting up.Dust off your knees,ignore the bruises and move.Hustle.But in all that,never ever forget who you are and who you want to be. Life is a cruel forest fire aiming to scorch your young mind into ashes,but never give in,for day comes after the night,rainbow after the rain and relief after the pain.Learn to appreciate the beauty of darkness, without it,what is light?Acknowledge it with a nod of your head,and let it go.Keep walking until you are who you’ve always wanted to be. Nurture the sapling that is you, slowly,daily, surrounded by good and light until the tiny fragile stem grows into a ginormous tree with roots so deep and a trunk so strong and a canopy so green,nothing can shake it,ever again.

And remember, the journey is much more beautiful than the destination,so savour it.
Then spread,pass on your wisdom,pass on your experiences,hand over the baton. Part of the journey is the end. It’s time for another life to flourish,another soul to blossom into a beautiful human being, and it needs a good mentor, does it not? Be the guide you wish you had had.

Be you.