You or I would complain bitterly. Living in barren conditions, seldom any water. Frequently, large vehicles pass right overhead making thunderous noise, and trampling the living space so you can barely stretch up without being hit. Garbage is part of your living landscape.
But those orange poppies never once complain. In the midst of the MUNI train tracks, they grow where nothing else does. And instead of whimpering, screaming in despair, their bright orange blooms open to the sun and the wide sky. They give beauty right where they are: a celebration of life, amidst trash and grease.
They see their full potential and live it in the most stark and difficult of conditions. We have it so much better – what keeps us from becoming fully alive and giving of ourselves to the world? Why don’t we open up and see the beautiful possibilities where we are, just as the poppies do?