The seeds of inspiration

This past September along the hillside of our local state forest, the milkweed pods literally exploded in the late afternoon. Driven by the light westerly breeze, seeds were dispatched to commence their eventual germination. In their own way, the successful seeds will ultimately provide the mechanism for change, allowing the monarch caterpillar to form its chrysalis, and then transform into the graceful monarch butterfly.

To me,  the milkweed pod is reminiscent of the birth of ideas. The concept first turns over in our head as we debate the value of it, think of its growth, and consider how it might evolve. At some point, the idea is ready to take flight. Just like the pod that breaks open with its seeds, the ideas have to come forth from us to have meaning.

Where will the idea take us?  We aren’t sure. Like the wind-blown seeds, some ideas get stuck long before reaching the ground.  We cannot know which idea, or seed, might take hold. But one, or two, or three, will germinate. And as this idea takes hold and starts to grow, just like the initial growth of the milkweed plant, sunshine and rain (and hard work) comes along to help that idea reach fruition.

Then one day, the milkweed plant becomes the food source to the monarch caterpillar, just prior to the transformation into a chrysalis and eventual monarch butterfly.  Using the analogy that the milkweed seed was the initial idea, that one idea gave flight to an entirely different outcome – not a plant but a monarch capable of flying many miles in its annual migration.

I view ideas as much the same as the milkweed seed. I have no clue which one of the many ideas might take hold. Nor do I know where the one idea will lead me.  With both the sun and the rain, perhaps even a greater idea will germinate which I have not yet considered.  And that, for me, is what is most inspiring.

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