A Small Seed in a Big Field

by Daini Gong

On one rainy morning, a colorful little bird flew a very long way from home. If you looked closely at its beak, you would see a tiny seed that it had picked up from a field far far away, a field that doesn't exist anymore. The little bird flew and flew till it found a new field. This area was already full of flowers, forever dancing together in the wind. The bird gently dropped the little seed into the soil, right in the middle of all these unfamiliar, daunting faces, and took flight. In the beginning, the seed felt like the odd one out. The soil smelled different. The sun rose at a different angle. The wind, too, sounded unfamiliar as it moved through leaves the little seed didn't recognize. It wasn't sure it could survive here at all. But slowly, something changed. The seed slowly pushed a tiny root down into the unfamiliar soil, and the earth was glad to make room for it. The daisies shifted aside a little to share sunlight. The lavender reached out its roots to tangle gently with the seed’s to pass along water during the dry days. Day after day, the seed grew. Some days it felt overwhelmed and leaned too far in the wind. Other days it stood proud and soaked in the sun. It wasn't always steady, but it was always growing. In due time, it blossomed into the most beautiful flower the others in that field had never seen before. It brought a brand new color and a brand new shape to the landscape and instead of looking out of place, it made the whole community even more beautiful. The other flowers didn't mind the difference. A place where everyone brings their own unique story is a garden. And every garden needs new life to keep growing.