Beauty and the Beast

How hard is it would you say to find the beauty in hardship? Very, I would say. Hardship is just that way isn’t it, sort of like having to crack through the tough outer shell of a situation or even a person. It’s not easy. But to think that we might discover beauty somewhere in the mix is that just a pipe dream? Is the sense of empowerment that comes from the hardship where the beauty lies? Is that the beauty?

Empowerment in a situation, those new beginnings that are the growing inner nacre that we never imagined might grow there. And those from something as simple, not to mention so insignificant, as a single grain of sand that’s found its way into and under our tough shell. So, is there beauty to be found in hardship? I do believe there is. And were one to open oneself to such hardship rather than avoid it in our life, well, it begs the unspoken question then too doesn’t it. Is there a pearl inside?

Your guess is as good as mine. That said, I’m guessing that we never actually expect to find a pearl where an irritating grain of sand has snuck in to settle on the floor of our lives. Well, not immediately. I don’t think we expect to find ourselves being pearl-divers in a life that’s been man-handled by hardship. It just seems too incongruous to comprehend given the circumstance. Ah, but life is such a surprise package no?

Ever fancy a stint as a pearl diver? Me neither. So here’s the thing, finding beauty in hardship, well, who would have thought. Not me, that’s for sure. But understanding that we can or could, well now, that could indeed be a beautiful thing!