Living through a global pandemic isn’t always easy. The life we once knew has transformed into something very different. It’s kind of surreal… like we’re all characters in a Stephen King novel. We don’t know where the plot is taking us, but we have no choice but to go along for the ride.
The silver lining in all of this is that we now have the chance to transform into something very different, too. Oh, I don’t know… kind of like the lotus.
Just like us, one of the most elegant, beautiful flowers on Earth transforms on its journey through the muck. It’s rooted in the mud beneath the murky water of a pond. Before it can blossom, it has to float up through all that goo and break the surface.
But the lotus has a secret weapon. Its petals are coated in a special wax that sheds water and dirt. When the flower finally makes its appearance, it is pure perfection. That’s why it’s a symbol of enlightenment, re-birth, and triumph over obstacles.
As Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh famously says, “No mud, no lotus”. Heck, he even wrote a book about it, where you’ll find this bit of wisdom:
“Everyone knows we need to have mud for lotuses to grow. The mud doesn’t smell so good, but the lotus flower smells very good. If you don’t have mud, the lotus won’t manifest.”
So the next time the pandemic gets you down, just visualise yourself as a lotus rising up through the world’s mud and muck… and looking mah-ve-lous.
