Once upon a time, in the middle of nowhere, there was a garden. The garden was so beautiful that you could still see its beauty from miles away. This garden was filled with millions of rose buds in every corner. There was a crystal clear waterfall where the water meets a pond filled with luscious, blush, pink, water lilies that twinkle in the light. The mist from the waterfall made it look like mini fluffy clouds on earth. One step in mother nature’s kingdom, like the Garden of Eden, and all of your worries seem to disappear and you are attached for life.
In the center of the garden, there was a small, ingrown plant.
“ We all used to just be seeds that needed to be nurtured and cared for, now I’m the only thing that hasn’t bloomed,” the small, twiggy, plant thought to itself. “I don’t belong here.”
The plant felt sad that it did not bloom. It was very discouraged, because it wanted to be like all the other beautiful plants in the garden. It longed to bring joy to the garden and everything that visited. The plant knew that was its purpose.
“How long will I be small and twiggy? When will I grow tall and lovely?” it wondered.
Next to the small plant was a large tree. The tree was covered with tiny, little flower blossoms. They were delicate shades of rose, pink and coral. It was truly efflorescent. The scent perfumed the middle of garden with a fabulous, fruity, floral fragrances.
The birds flocked to the blooming tree. Not one came to the little plant. It was lonely and felt like a pile of old leaves compared to the beauty of the garden.
“All I can do is do my best to grow,” thought the plant. “ I will focus on the sunlight, and gather up energy. I will focus on the raindrops, and soak up the water.”
So that is what the plant did. Day after day, month after month. When it felt sad, it tried hard to believe one day it would start to grow. The plant held onto the dream of blooming one day.
After three, full, difficult, years of growing, it all happened. The plant finally bloomed. The plant was no longer stick thin. It bloomed into a beautiful tree with stunning flowers: delicate, pale ivory blooms covered it completely. Literally, a cloud of flowers encircled the tree and it became overjoyed. Birds nested in its branches. The tree finally started feeling content with itself.
Then it noticed that it was not only a tree, it discoveredthat it bloomed into a pear tree with small, green pears beginning to grow. Now it was even happier that it could provide fruit to the birds.
“The right effort truly results in beauty,” the pear tree thought. “Really all I had to do is to be patient and not compare myself to the other flowers, trees, and other plants in the garden. Overall, it was truly all worth it in the end.”
Moral of the Folktale: Be content with yourself, don’t compare yourself to others, and be patient with yourself.