Art of Late Blooming

Some people know who they are. They have the great fortune of growing up with some sense of communal identity- either within a family or an area. They have a sports team and know the odd chants unique to a history they probably learned from an elder. A baton of sorts was passed to them, and with foundation built, they run from a platform that is sturdy and strong. From that knowing, trajectory is produced towards something. They are planted early and grow into something beautiful in due season. Others do not have such a story. They may have an unthinkable childhood, one of chaos and longing. Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong, and yet, from that chaos produces an unlikely beauty. Planted in darkness, color begins to emerge. Many times, it is because of that very foundation, a clear contrast is established. The foundation becomes, “Whatever I dealt with before, I will do the opposite,” and their vision is established from their shattered past. And then there is the third plant- the kind that continually is shifted around in various pots. It was watered a few times and then moved to another window. Some locations did better than others. Occasionally, it would ridicule its owner by showing signs of real life, but in the end, it always withered back into the soil. It did not have proper foundation nor the chaos of strong roots. It just kept getting repotted until, in a forest of established plants, it decided to show signs of life again.