Love Is Not a Flower That Fades; It Is a Plant That Keeps Blooming

Love Is Not a Flower That Fades; It Is a Plant That Keeps Blooming

Some thoughts pass through our minds, leaving behind a gentle smile.

Other thoughts make us pause for a moment and reflect on our own lives.

Today, I would like to share a few thoughts of that kind with you.

Look at a flower. It blossoms, spreads its fragrance and brings us joy.

But after a few days, it withers and falls.

However, if we nurture and protect the plant that produces that flower, it will continue to bloom again and again.

Love in our hearts should not exist merely as flowers that bloom and fade; it should be like a plant that keeps producing flowers throughout its life.

This is a thought I particularly cherish.

After all, showing someone affection for just one day is not difficult. It is the ability to express that affection consistently that reflects our true character.

It is easy to create a circle of people whom we like, who appreciate us and who show us affection, and share our love only within that circle.

But the true depth of our love becomes evident when we are able to treat with humanity even those who do not understand us properly, those who fail to appreciate our affection, and sometimes even those who have hurt us.

At the same time, there is something we must understand.

Showing love does not mean losing ourselves.

Loving someone does not mean enduring everything silently.

We can show affection towards someone without sacrificing our self-respect.

We can love someone without allowing them to repeatedly hurt us.

Love is the natural expression of our hearts.

Establishing boundaries to protect that love is the responsibility of our wisdom.

Never abandon love, but never allow yourself to be hurt in the name of love either.

Another thought concerns what we choose to fill our minds with.

Whatever we pour into a vessel is what eventually comes out of it.

If we fill it with water, water comes out. If we fill it with milk, milk comes out.

The human mind works in much the same way.

If we constantly fill our minds with jealousy, anger, thoughts of revenge, criticism of others and unnecessary comparisons, these emotions will inevitably find their way into our words and actions.

On the other hand, if we cultivate positive thoughts, noble ambitions, a willingness to help others, gratitude and humanity within ourselves, these qualities will naturally be reflected in our actions.

We do not have to change the entire world to achieve this.

All we need to do is begin by observing what is happening within our own minds.

What is the first thought that enters our minds when we wake up in the morning?

Is it the thought that we must compete with someone once again today?

Is it the desire to retaliate against someone for something they said yesterday?

Or is it the thought that we should try to bring a little happiness into someone's life today, in whatever way we can?

That small change in our thinking can transform the entire course of our day.

Every person we meet is fighting a battle of their own.

We have no idea how many worries may be hidden behind the smile of someone standing before us.

Therefore, a little gentleness in our words and a little understanding in our approach can make someone's entire day brighter.

We do not need money to speak a kind word.

We do not need any special qualification to listen to someone's worries.

We do not need great wealth or resources to offer a little help to someone.

When our minds are filled with good thoughts, opportunities to turn those thoughts into meaningful actions are already waiting all around us.

Let us now consider another aspect of life.

How many days do we actually live without worries?

Just when one worry comes to an end, another seems to appear.

As soon as we find a solution to one problem, another comes knocking at our door.

Some worries arise from our own mistakes.

Some are caused by the actions of others.

Yet others emerge from circumstances beyond our control.

What matters, however, is how we choose to handle them.

A simple imaginary illustration comes to my mind.

Think about the handkerchief we use every day.

When dust settles on it, we shake it off and use it again.

In the same way, we must learn to shake off the unnecessary worries that accumulate in our minds from time to time.

But what about happy memories? How do we preserve them?

Just as carefully as we protect the pen in our shirt pocket, we should preserve our beautiful memories with even greater care in our hearts.

The little help someone once offered us, the laughter shared with a friend, the happy moments spent with family, the affection of someone who came looking for us just to ask how we were, or an unexpected word of appreciation — we have so many precious memories.

But what actually happens?

Even if ten people have praised us, we keep remembering the one bitter remark made by a single person.

Even when many people have treated us with affection, we continue carrying the pain of being ignored by just one person.

We forget a hundred incidents that brought us happiness, yet give permanent space in our hearts to one incident that hurt us.

Is that fair?

We cannot change what happened in the past.

But we can change the importance we give to that incident today.

Forgiveness does not mean forgetting what happened.

Its true meaning is refusing to allow that incident to continue stealing our peace of mind.

Let some memories make us smile.

Let some memories teach us valuable lessons.

But let no memory occupy our present lives so completely that we lose the joy of living today.

Do not carry yesterday's wounds so heavily that you miss today's happiness.

Now, let us turn to a thought about the rose and its thorns, which I particularly like in this reflection.

When some people look at a rose plant, they first notice its beautiful flowers.

Others notice the thorns surrounding them.

Both are looking at the very same plant.

But their perspectives are different.

One person asks, "Why are there so many thorns surrounding such a beautiful flower?"

Another admires it and says, "How beautifully this flower has blossomed even amidst all these thorns!"

The rose plant has not changed.

Its thorns have not changed either.

The only thing that has changed is the perspective of the person looking at it.

The same thing happens in our lives.

One person may look at the comforts and privileges enjoyed by another and become jealous.

But they rarely think about the difficulties that person may have overcome to achieve those comforts.

We admire someone's success.

But we often fail to notice the failures, tears and long periods of waiting behind that success.

When we become unhappy thinking about what we do not have, we forget the many wonderful things that are already part of our lives.

Thinking constantly about what we lack diminishes our happiness.

Learning to recognise and appreciate what we already have increases it.

I am not suggesting that we should view every hardship in life as something beautiful.

Pain is pain. Loss is loss. Disappointment is disappointment.

Denying these realities, or simply telling someone who is suffering to keep smiling, is not the right approach.

However, we can learn not to allow those painful experiences to imprison our entire lives. Instead, we can develop the inner strength to move beyond them.

A failure does not always come merely to bring us down.

Sometimes it makes us reconsider the path we have chosen.

A separation does not always happen merely to leave us lonely.

Sometimes it gives us an opportunity to understand ourselves better.

A disappointment does not have to break us permanently.

Sometimes it teaches us how much we should expect from different people.

Not every experience in life brings us happiness.

But we can learn something from every experience.

Developing that maturity is one of the ways to truly experience life.

My dear friends!

When we bring all these thoughts about life together, a simple truth becomes clear.

The quality of our lives is not determined solely by the comforts and conveniences we enjoy.

It is also shaped by the thoughts we nurture within ourselves, the love we express towards others and the perspective with which we approach the events of our lives.

We may not receive love from everyone.

But we can share love with as many people as we can.

We may not be able to prevent worries from entering our lives.

But we can learn not to turn them into permanent burdens.

We do not have to remove every thorn before we appreciate a rose.

We can learn to recognise the beauty of a flower blooming even amidst its thorns.

There is just one thought I would like to share with today's younger generation, based on my own life experiences.

Do not always look at life as a problem to be solved.

Life is a precious opportunity meant to be experienced and enjoyed.

Cultivate love in your hearts.

Fill your thoughts with goodness.

Learn to let go of unnecessary memories that cause you pain.

Begin to appreciate the things you already have.

Above all, never compare your life with someone else's.

Everyone has a different path.

Everyone moves at a different pace.

Everyone has a different set of experiences.

Instead, occasionally look back and see how far you have progressed along your own path.

If you can become even a slightly better human being today than you were yesterday, that itself is a tremendous achievement.

Flowers may wither, but let the plant continue to bloom.

Worries may come, but do not lose your happiness.

Thorns may exist, but never forget the beauty of the rose.

Do not carry life as though it were a heavy burden.

Learn to enjoy its beauty, its experiences and the love it offers.

Because life is not simply about allowing the days to pass.

It is about discovering the meaning of life in every passing day.

You too can do it!

YOU CAN DO IT!

With affection, 

Sakthi Sakthithasan