The-Thinking Out Loud Again-Chronicles

October 9, 2011
By: Diane Szczepanski

"Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations, unless he or she begins with some wild expectations" ~ Ralph Charrell

The little seed from this pretty flower had a wild expectation. It had a big notion and dream it could survive in an astonishing location, all on it's own. That it not only thrived but became a thing of beauty, was just a bonus for those of us who came along its path.

Tenacity. Perseverance. Moxie, if you will. How I envy the stubborn marigold that unveiled its bright and sunny head, in the middle of the crack of a cement driveway, in October!

The determination evident of one small seed that migrated itself away from the showy cluster in the flower bed residing over 8 feet away, who remain safely flocked together.

Its very solitude, in its unusual concrete location, caused me to look at it closer and with more reverence, than the flashy display of the masses growing nearby.

What would it be like I wonder, if we were all a little more willing to journey outside the pack? To venture out of comfort zones and place ourselves in highly unlikely situations, just to see if we too, as the brave marigold, could thrive and create our own solo beauty and awe in the world.

It could be, that if we just set our feet to moving on those first few hesitant steps, we might find we CAN weather the odds and claim our own little niche and crack in life to display our talent and uniqueness.

Perhaps it isn't always about being "in the right place at the right time". Maybe it's more about having the gumption to come up in the wrong place at the wrong time, that will prove to be our gift to the world and what gets our blossoms noticed.

Armed with that thought and with a few new ventures on my horizon, I believe I will continue to run outside the pack, hear a different drummer and dance to my own music.

I will choose to strive to be as the lone marigold that feared naught being away from the expected and its familiar surroundings and created its own beauty in a wildly unexpected scenario.

For the sake of finding my own 'moxie', I will just continue to travel, search and dream BIG, in the hope I too, will pop up in an unpredictable place and create a little beauty in the world.

If nothing else, the journey itself will be amazing and beyond my wildest expecations...