A reflection because I am stressed out

A friend of mine, who has a far greener thumb than I, recently took me on a tour of her garden. She pointed out all the varieties of trees, shrubs and grasses she has planted, but one plant in particular caught my attention. She pointed to a shrub with small dark red blossoms on it, and told me that if you give the plant too much water it will not bloom. It thrives and blossoms under just the right amount of environmental stress.

It reminded me of another story of a butterfly, perched on a windowsill, struggling to escape its cocoon. A helpful observer, watching its struggle, decided to gently cut the creature’s cocoon open and free it. When the wet butterfly finally emerged, it was unable to fly because what was intended to be helpful had actually prevented the butterfly from strengthening its wings to prepare it for flight.

Perhaps the stress I am experiencing right now can be the predictor of beautiful flowers or elegant flight in my life. Perhaps if I will be patient and be grateful for these experiences, I too, like the plant or the butterfly, will blossom or fly in unexpected ways as a result of the stress, rather than being defeated by it.

I am not saying that stress is always a good thing. I am saying, from first-hand experience, that it is not always a bad thing either. I need the right amount of tension to keep me “blossoming.” And while humans are more complex than a plant, I can learn valuable lessons by observing nature.

And at this period of time when stress seems to be my constant companion, I take a lesson from nature.

Instead of asking, “Why do I have to deal with all of this?” I ask myself instead what I must need to learn from these experiences. I should view the situation much like the butterfly must see its cocoon — as a barrier I must break through to become the extraordinary creature I was designed to be.

It is not always easy to maintain such a perspective. I often make my experiences harder than they have to be by my resistance to change, growth, or stress. I should stay focused and should use stress to take me a step closer to the flower or butterfly I want to become.

It is a basic principle of spiritual life that I should learn the deepest things in unknown territory. Often it is when I feel most confused inwardly and in the midst of my greatest difficulties that something new will open. I awaken most easily to the mystery of life through my weakest side. The areas of my greatest strength, where I am the most competent and clearest, tend to keep me away from the mystery.