Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Wildfire Metaphor
Yesterday I attended my baby cousin's high school graduation (time goes by so fast!). The ceremony was held in downtown Cleveland at Playhouse Square, and the event was very nicely done. Today I wanted to share something from one of the student's speeches that resonated with me. At one point, she likened the tribulations that we go through in life to wildfires.
She said that she had been fascinated by the concept of wildfires when she learned about them in science class. A wildfire is one of the most destructive forces on the earth. It can quickly tear through an area and destroy everything in it's path, leaving the land barren. However, what science teaches us is that during this destruction, the fire allows vegetation to release minerals back into the soil priming it for new growth. The graduate went on to say that she likes think about this effect of wildfires when she is going through a particularly hard time in her life. She said that people are like the ground and difficult times are like wildfires. They can rip through your life stripping you bare, but after this you are primed to grow as a person. This gives you an opportunity to tend to yourself and help yourself grow in ways you never were able to before.
I really like this metaphor. And I appreciate this wisdom coming from someone so young. I have to say it took me years to be able to view life and it's lessons with such maturity. I hope you can take something from this metaphor too and know that especially when times get hard, you will get a chance to grow from it.
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