You are an unfolding flower

You know the bud of a flower, which is still tightly closed,
is in the proces of unfolding, right?
You can't see it, but you know, because you have seen it happen before and
It's the natural course of things for the flower to do so.

You know a flower unfolds its petals in its own time, don't you?
You aren't going to shout at it, that it should hurry up,
or pull at its fragile petals, because you know that will only rip them apart.
You won't go through your garden and look down upon at the flower buds
and only appreciate the open flowers, , because a flower bud is also a pleasure to look at.
You know all stages of a flower have beauty in them and you respect that.

Why give yourself any less respect?

You are an unfolding flower.

Why condemn your unfolding state
and tell yourself you're hopeless and will never bloom?

Have a little faith.
It is also your natural course to move towards unfolding and blooming.

No need to shout at yourself,
or tear at fragile things that need to unfold at their own time.
Be careful you might damage a carefully sprouted part of yourself.

It's a marvellous proces
that holds the wisdom of generation upon generation
and evolution upon evolution in it.
Life itself moves it along.

Enjoy all the stages of it
in wonder and awe
of the miracle of life,

that you are.

Clara Andriessen