Does it scare you?
Moving to a new place,
Leaving your family behind?
Does it hurt you?
Knowing that your friends are out,
While you’re at work feeling blind?
Does it destroy you?
When your brother takes his first steps,
But reality doesn’t allow you to rewind?
Yes. I know it does.
But you know what?
You’ll get through this.
You’ll find a new family. Your coworkers, your friends, your lovers.
You’ll realise there’s more to life than getting drunk with your friends. The ocean, the sun, the sand.
You’ll experience new firsts. First love, first home, first time cooking alone.
You’ll be okay.
But some days you won’t feel okay. You’ll hurt and feel tired and want to give up. You’ll spend all day sleeping, craving an escape, rotting away in the dark.
But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do.
Humans are like plants. Sunflowers.
Why?
Because we are drawn to the sun. We are drawn to the things that give us life, the things that make our days brighter. The things that help us see clearly.
What is your sun?
Is it that giant combustible orb in the sky?
Is it the fresh air by the ocean, your dog when he smiles at you?
Is it a person?
It’s all of those things. Everyone has a sun. Some people are the sun. Some people radiate warmth and sunshine and the idea that everything is okay. Some people have trouble finding the sun within them.
Find your sun.
Find the person that makes all the pain go away.
Find the person that reminds you that some problems are transient and in a few days, they won’t matter anymore.
Find the person that leads you out of the darkness. The guiding light. The person that reminds you that there’s still a life worth living beyond the darkness. That the clouds only mask what opportunities lie beyond the horizon.
You’re a sunflower.
Take care of yourself.
Drink plenty of water.
Eat plenty of food.
Get plenty of fresh air.
Feel the sun on your skin.
Remember that you are a plant. You need these things to survive.
But you also need company. Other sunflowers. You’re not alone. You’re merely one sunflower in a field of blooming yellow, facing towards the sun, trying to find a reason to blossom every day.
Those other sunflowers need you too.
They need your support, just like you need theirs.
They’re feeling alone in a new place.
They’re feeling like life is crumbling beneath them while their feet are chained to the ground.
They’re feeling like maybe life isn’t worth living. Not when their family is so far away and they’re feeling so helpless.
They’re feeling like you.
And they want you to know that you’re not alone.
Ever.
Stop pretending that you’re alone.
Stop pushing people away.
Stop neglecting your needs.
Sunflowers need the sun.
And the sunflower theory states,
That you need a sun too.
But what about the suns?
When clouds shade their light,
And their brightness fades.
When they’ve slipped beyond the horizon, hidden from view.
When it seems like all anyone cares about is the moon.
The suns need you too.
They need someone to cast their light upon.
They need a reason.
They need a reason to shine.
And that reason is you.
See, there are the sunflowers and there are the suns.
It doesn’t matter which one you are.
Someone, somewhere needs you.
You may not know it. You might not realise just how important you are. Not at this moment. But you will. You must.
Sunflowers are just as important as the sun.
You are just as important as I.
And the sunflower theory states,
That you need a sunflower too.
I was at work one night when my coworker made an observation.
Since moving here, I’ve had countless people drawn to me, confiding in me, counting on my advice. Counting on me to make them feel better.
But as my coworker pointed out, they weren’t coming to me for advice (they never followed it anyway). They were coming to me because they were drawn to me, like a sunflower to the sun.
This sounds incredibly vain, I know, but hear me out.
I live my life as positively as possible. I am an optimist.
I see rain clouds and I don’t see a spoiled day. I see rain puddles and gumboots, blankets and hot chocolates, a rainbow stretching beyond the clouds.
I miss a train and I don’t feel lost, I feel ready. Ready for a challenge, a new adventure. Ready to find a new path.
I feel homesick and I don’t feel sad. I feel determined. Determined to see my family, eager to share my love and warmth with everyone.
My coworker described me as the sun, and it was the highest compliment I’ve ever received. But it also got me thinking.
People are essentially either a sunflower or a sun.
Many people feel grey, clouded by emotions until they meet a certain person. A person that emits light and warmth.
And I’m not saying I’m purely a sun.
To some people, yes. I will definitely accept that title.
Around other people I am a closed up sunflower, a feeble yellow bud searching for the sun.
I think everyone is a sun to someone.
So are you.
You know who you are.
Stop being ridiculous and step away from the edge.
You are a sun.
You are a sunflower.
You are just as important as everyone.
And you are just as loved as everyone else.
And as the sunflower theory states,
You are important to every sun and every sunflower.
Shine on.
