Persistent Little Flower

Gutter Flower

Ever notice how people rarely, if ever, look up or around? People are either looking straight ahead, down at their feet, or at their phones.

It sometimes feels like looking around and seeing what's out there is a taboo.

Are we all subconsciously afraid of noticing something out of the ordinary?

Take this beautiful little sunflower (pictured left) for example. If I hadn't looked up, I wouldn't have noticed it. The flower was growing all along with or without my acknowledgement. In a place that can't be easy to grow.

These gutters are very high up and hard to reach much less clean. Year after year, I ignore them even though I know shouldn't. Various plant vegetation gets trapped, rots and becomes fuel for seeds to grow in. Most of those seeds sprout into trees that fail to live past winter. Every once in a while, however, a seed gets up there that is a complete surprise to me.

Not only does this sunflower have to survive in poor soil conditions, but it's also exposed to the elements like wind and rain. She's a lone target at the end of a field of shingles.

Outside of the oddity of growing in a gutter, the plant does have a useful lesson to teach. And that lesson is: Regardless of what you're dealt, persist and grow. 

Sun Flower

You will never know what you're capable of unless you try. It can be a scary daunting process but one worth the effort if you succeed.

Even if you don't succeed, all is not lost. Simply pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.

Remember, failure only happens when you never try in the first place or give up at the first sign of trouble.

So look around and see what's out there. Instead of looking straight ahead, down at your feet or at your phone.