I Do It For The Roses

“While strolling through the fields of time, there’s many things to see;

But nature is the greatest sight, that there could ever be.

The greatest of them all to me is how the world was formed;

And why the roses have to live each day among the thorns.”

Image provided by bitrebels.com

My work places me in challenging positions. I have to have conversations with faculty members, students, and other employees about how to navigate difficult conversations, how to accommodate students so they can be successful, and how to see the humanity in people even when they don’t want or have to. It can be exhausting. I question why I do it, and how or if I will sustain doing it for the long run. I’m then reminded of an important reality, as I often am, through the gift of song. When the lyrics are good – I’m good. No matter the genre of music, I find a message that keeps me going. In this case I found it in Bluegrass. Having been raised in the Southern part of the U.S., I can appreciate some good Bluegrass.

The song A Rose Among The Thorns made me remember that one of the most beautiful flowers in the world, the Rose, exists amongst thorns. Metaphorically, good people, and indeed the good in people, are much like roses amongst the thorns. I don’t get to choose to be offended by the thorns and thereby lose an opportunity to appreciate the roses. I don’t get to be afraid of the thorns, and let that distract me from the beauty of people, or the value they bring to this world. There is good in people and bad in people. There are good people and there are bad people. You can’t have one without the other, and one shouldn’t stop you from appreciating the other. I will remember in my daily work that despite the selfishness, racism, bias, and bigotry in the world…I will continue to do what I do for the roses.