Little Rays Of Hope

Head first, fearless

I like first words. I like their beauty, their preciousness, their delicate vulnerability and innocence, the way they're carefully crafted, scribbled out so many times before they remain in all their serene sensibility, at the very beginning.

They remind me of the first shoot of a flower through a cracked desert ground, such a bright, young green, truly captivating amidst the desolate bleakness around it.

As crazy as it might sound, I think we can all learn a lot from this flower. Independently, it grew from nothing in the most unlikely and difficult of circumstances. A flash of colour amidst the wreckage, giving hope to all who see it.

How does it make YOU feel? For me, it shines, fearlessly and flawlessly. It reminds me of all those who have been strong, those who love without fear, the bodacious heroes of our time.

Take Rosa Parks. She was disrespected, disregarded, hated in society, just for being black. She was told to move out of her seat for a white person, and despite the fact she had such a low seat within the community, she took a stand. She was being treated wrongly and she simply said "no". She stood up.

She changed the world.

Take Marilyn Monroe. Famous, successful and strong, this influential woman was brought up in various foster homes, experienced sexual abuse and had a psychiatrically ill mother. "I'm selfish, impatient, & a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, & at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." she said. She knew how she should be treated, and she wouldn't let anyone else tell her otherwise.

Take Amy Studt, who released her first album at only 16 years old. She was bullied in school, had self harm issues, a bone disease aged only 12, depression and chronic fatigue.

Take Tom Cruise, Chad Michael Murray, Ozzy Osbourne, Mel Gibson, John Lennon, Michael and Janet Jackson, Jessica Alba, all of which had difficult childhoods or were bullied at school. They were so strong, and even in the hardest of circumstances, they grew through it. And I salute them.

No matter where you stand, no matter what people think, how hard it seems, you can make it. Whether you want to scale the highest heights, or just reach out from the darkness, you can do it.

You can make it. You might face trials, you'll need a whole lot of faith and it might not be easy, but you're never alone.

Follow your heart and remember the flower. You might be growing in the most colourless of situations, but when you bloom, your lights will shine the brightest.