I was having a peaceful morning before I got out of bed, and I was reading Paulo Coelho's "Like the Flowing River," which consists of short stories and reflections. This excerpt is from, oh god, I hate the title but.. "Remaining Open to Love."
(page 222)
..."A rose dreamed day and night about bees, but no bee ever landed on her petals.
The flower, however, continued to dream. During the long nights, she imagined a heaven full of bees, which flew down to bestow kisses on her. By doing this, she was able to last until the next day, when she opened again to the light of the sun.
One night, the moon, who knew of the rose's loneliness, asked: 'Aren't you tired of waiting?'
'Possibly, but I have to keep trying.'
'Why?'
'Because if I don't remain open, I will simply fade away.'
At times, when loneliness seems to crush all beauty, the only way to resist is to remain open."
Okay...so maybe it sounded better this morning when my mind was groggy. But, although a little bit obvious, I thought there were some underlying good bits in it. First, it made me think that, even if somebody hurts you, and you want to remain closed to any other vulnerable situation - you are doing yourself and the other hypothetical sig oth a diservice. Second, I love how the story was about a rose and bees, dehumanizing the story, yet it still was powerful in its message. Plants and animals ARE important in our society, although we have lost almost all real contact with them.
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