As I rest on my deck at the end of a hot and busy day, I enjoy the peace and quiet surrounded by the many different blooming plants I have. They create an environment of contentment as well as beauty. Hummingbirds flit in and out adding to the ambiance.
The flowers in my pots are well taken care of: good dirt to grow in, watered and fed on a regular basis.
Not all plants enjoy such care. Some struggle through constantly invading weeds, others endure long stretches of droughts. And still, others find themselves on rocks trying to find someplace to sink their roots.
On trips to nearby beaches, there are many craggy outcrops of rock. I am amazed at the number of trees that seem to be growing out of solid rock. On closer inspection, however, you see cracks that contain enough dirt or nutrients to allow them to 
grow. They have a beauty all their own.
What drives a seedling to push deep into what appears to be nonexistent soil in order to grow, survive and even thrive?
If seeds can be persistent and resilient, following some internal code, why can’t we?
We will struggle with overwhelming odds; but unlike the seed who continues to push against incredible conditions, we tend to give up. Yet there is fertile soil all around us to grow and develop. Even when tragedies hit and it seems our world is turned upside down, the “soil” of opportunity and favorable conditions can be found.
Our job in life is to look for and find that “soil” of opportunity to use, grow and bloom
Obstacles may seem like an impenetrable solid rock – but there are cracks to put our roots. Losses may seem like the devastated remains of a tornado that has blasted through the landscape of our lives, but it has only stirred the soil.
Doubts and fears may loom as huge giant monsters, but a pinprick of hope and determination will deflate them in a second.
Plant your roots. Refuse to give up, and tell yourself, Yes I can. If trees and cacti and the scrub brush of deserts not only can grow but survive and thrive, so can we. If seeds find those tiny cracks in impossible situations, so can we. There is no dessert that is too rocky and dry; there is no weed patch that we can’t rise above. We just have to look and search for where to put our roots down.
Marlene Anderson
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