"Apparent" Failure

Apparent failure may hold in its rough shell the germs of a success that will blossom in time, and bear fruit throughout eternity.   --Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, 1825 – 1911

This quote hit me for several reasons.  I loved the word “apparent” before failure.  Apparent—how something appears at a given time.  I’ve had time over the last 14 months where I’ve thought of the separation and divorce as failure.  I’ve also seen it as an incredible success.  I’ve decided that thinking of it as a failure only makes me feel bad.  But seeing it as the success doesn’t give the due to the sadness and regret that comes along with the process.  But thinking of it as an apparent failure helps make that sense—it is how it appears in that MOMENT.  It is TEMPORARY. 

But I also love the rest of this quote, because that is what I’ve found true more than any truth through this process.  In the destruction of one thing, the seeds of new life are germinated.  And while what was lost will last throughout my life, so will what is gained. 

What has germinated for me? 

·         The seeds of amazing new friendships. 
·         The changes, growth, opportunities and satisfaction in my career that a person can only dream of. 
·         A sense of self that excites me—I can’t wait to see what kind of flower this seed is going to become. 

The destruction of the rough shell happens very quickly.  It flames and burns with a quick intensity.  But the germinating of a seed….and the blossoming of a flower, are a slow, gradual, evolving and gentle process.  And while the seed just germinates one, the blossom comes back over and over again.  And the results are so beautiful and fragrant.