By Lisa S. Tarno

I was greeted by a beautiful surprise this morning in my backyard, a blossom on my Argentine Toothpick Cactus. I made sure to take a photo. This picture is one of many that perfectly illustrate resilience. The beautiful blossom bloomed in the very midst of needles on the cactus. I read about it and discovered that it only blooms at night. The blooms don’t last very long and close up for the day. But a healthy cactus will spur on new buds to continue the cycle.

It’s a good lesson for us all that no matter the environment we are in, be it prickly or tough or even dark as night, we too can bring about goodness and beauty from our lives. There is potential in us all to bring about resilience that not only benefits us but motivates others who are watching. For this hearty cactus, it comes from within. I believe therein lies the secret.

Too often we are distracted by the external things happening around us that we don’t listen to the stillness within. Our physical bodies are nothing short of miraculous in keeping a heart rhythm, breathing lungs, blood flow, cooling off abilities and even blinking eyes to survive and thrive. We are created to live in a world that presents dangers all around. There is an innate sense of avoiding certain dangers. Where does resilience come from?

It may be true that one never knows how strong or resilient they can be until they go through tough circumstances. Some seem to possess a more tenacious resiliency than others that fail to thrive. I often marvel at the comparisons and am led to wonder what constitutes a person. I believe faith has a lot to do with a stronger resilience but there have been a fair share of others who just seemed to have the “it” factor too. 

I believe that mindset is key for us humans. The cactus obviously is just an illustration. Our mindsets can either set us up for success or be our detriment. Though talking to oneself is made fun of, in reality it is what we should be doing especially in tough times. We need to have positive self talk and sometimes we need to be audible to coach ourselves through dark nights. This is where faith in God has an advantage. Scripture is life giving and when we recite it out loud over our lives, it has power. I’ve personally experienced it and witnessed it in others’ lives. 

The bloom on the Argentine Toothpick Cactus continues to inspire me to be continually working on personal growth and development and be resilient. I, too, want to have blooms in my life that encourage and inspire others.