Miss-Delectable
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http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36612.asp
Everyone has a garden in their life, and every individual chooses which flowers, or weeds, they will grow. I believe each day, those with any level of deafness are presented with unique obstacles and challenges. This is largely due to living in a world that is geared for the hearing. It is my opinion that our decisions and choices will impact our symbolic garden.
So, what is this garden that I'm talking about? It is the garden of our lives, which we create on a daily basis. It contains the many flowers and weeds that we plant and water within ourselves, as well as those that others attempt to plant. For instance, there might be the flowers of love, splendidly blooming in gorgeous hues of red. Perhaps there are the white flowers that represent pureness, or the lovely forget-me-nots, which whisper of our sweet memories. My favorite flowers are those that bloom with the soft pastel colors of self-care. They decorate our gardens with exquisite displays of tenderness and self-love. I am actively working on planting these very flowers in my garden, eagerly anticipating the beauty they will bring.
Amid all of the vibrant shades of flowers, there are also weeds that begin growing very subtly. Oddly, the weeds don’t grow as a separate entity, apart from the flowers. Instead, they grow in the midst of the beauty. There are the weeds of frustration at living in a world that seems to focus mainly on the needs and pleasures of those that can audibly hear. Or perhaps there are the weeds of doubt that fill our hearts as we, who struggle with any level of deafness, strive to succeed in our chosen profession within a hearing world. There may even be the weeds of isolation that tug at our hearts, as we are consistently left out of conversations among our hearing peers. The weeds are a dangerous presence in our garden of life, for they threaten to destroy the beauty of the decorative flowers that we have worked so hard to grow. Once the weeds begin to grow in full-force, it is difficult to remove their presence. It is our choice whether we allow them to take root, causing them to grow in succession, or to remove them. Consequently, pulling the weeds will also remove all danger they pose to our being.
When someone attempts to tell you, as a Deaf person, that you are not able to succeed in something because they consider deafness a disability, they are essentially planting a weed in your garden. However, if another person encourages you to follow your dreams, they are planting a seed of hope and beauty into your garden. Each time you speak negatively toward yourself, you are tending to the dangerous weed of self-destruction within your garden. Meanwhile, each time you speak positive affirmations to yourself, that is equal to pulling the weeds out of your garden and replacing them with flowers of tenderness and truth. The flowers, which face upward toward the sun of hope and promise, cannot possibly thrive in the same garden with weeds of despair, doubt, and fear.
Tend to your garden today. Plant seeds of hope and promise amidst the vibrant colored flowers of self-confidence. You will have a beautiful garden, if willing to tend to it. Choose which flowers you will plant and allow to blossom, and determine to pluck out all weeds at the roots. Don't allow anyone to plant seeds of despair and negativity within your garden. Instead, every time they attempt to, gently blow them away with the breath of life, as well as the truth of your value and worth as a unique individual.
Everyone has a garden in their life, and every individual chooses which flowers, or weeds, they will grow. I believe each day, those with any level of deafness are presented with unique obstacles and challenges. This is largely due to living in a world that is geared for the hearing. It is my opinion that our decisions and choices will impact our symbolic garden.
So, what is this garden that I'm talking about? It is the garden of our lives, which we create on a daily basis. It contains the many flowers and weeds that we plant and water within ourselves, as well as those that others attempt to plant. For instance, there might be the flowers of love, splendidly blooming in gorgeous hues of red. Perhaps there are the white flowers that represent pureness, or the lovely forget-me-nots, which whisper of our sweet memories. My favorite flowers are those that bloom with the soft pastel colors of self-care. They decorate our gardens with exquisite displays of tenderness and self-love. I am actively working on planting these very flowers in my garden, eagerly anticipating the beauty they will bring.
Amid all of the vibrant shades of flowers, there are also weeds that begin growing very subtly. Oddly, the weeds don’t grow as a separate entity, apart from the flowers. Instead, they grow in the midst of the beauty. There are the weeds of frustration at living in a world that seems to focus mainly on the needs and pleasures of those that can audibly hear. Or perhaps there are the weeds of doubt that fill our hearts as we, who struggle with any level of deafness, strive to succeed in our chosen profession within a hearing world. There may even be the weeds of isolation that tug at our hearts, as we are consistently left out of conversations among our hearing peers. The weeds are a dangerous presence in our garden of life, for they threaten to destroy the beauty of the decorative flowers that we have worked so hard to grow. Once the weeds begin to grow in full-force, it is difficult to remove their presence. It is our choice whether we allow them to take root, causing them to grow in succession, or to remove them. Consequently, pulling the weeds will also remove all danger they pose to our being.
When someone attempts to tell you, as a Deaf person, that you are not able to succeed in something because they consider deafness a disability, they are essentially planting a weed in your garden. However, if another person encourages you to follow your dreams, they are planting a seed of hope and beauty into your garden. Each time you speak negatively toward yourself, you are tending to the dangerous weed of self-destruction within your garden. Meanwhile, each time you speak positive affirmations to yourself, that is equal to pulling the weeds out of your garden and replacing them with flowers of tenderness and truth. The flowers, which face upward toward the sun of hope and promise, cannot possibly thrive in the same garden with weeds of despair, doubt, and fear.
Tend to your garden today. Plant seeds of hope and promise amidst the vibrant colored flowers of self-confidence. You will have a beautiful garden, if willing to tend to it. Choose which flowers you will plant and allow to blossom, and determine to pluck out all weeds at the roots. Don't allow anyone to plant seeds of despair and negativity within your garden. Instead, every time they attempt to, gently blow them away with the breath of life, as well as the truth of your value and worth as a unique individual.