When it's good to be bamboozled

Do you know much about bamboo?
This quietly towering grass provides a wonderful metaphor for personal growth. Its adage reads:

The first year it sleeps 

The second year it creeps 

The third year it leaps

This leaping has been reported to reach 47" of growth in a single 24 hour period.  But as the adage reminds us, the bamboo's take-off did not come overnight.


What an encouraging thought to hold on to when we feel we are putting in effort without seeing much in the way of results.  I went through a time of intense personal difficulty of several years duration.  I called it 'my 4 years of tears'.  It was so difficult and so unyielding that I often despaired of ever feeling happy or even sane again. Then.... seemingly out of nowhere.... and without my even realizing it.... it all went away, and I was healed... permanently.


I was so grateful to know that all the toil and struggle had indeed yielded fruit, in abundance. And that harrowing experience has become a confidence-building victory that has enabled me to more easily meet and vanquish subsequent ugly challenges.


Have you had a bamboo experience of your own?  I'd love to hear about it.


joyfully yours...