People only marvel at the brilliance of a successful flower! Yet, in its beginning, its buds were soaked in the tears of struggle and bathed in the blood of sacrifice. — Bing Xin
I have always deeply loved this poem by Bing Xin. Whenever I recall it, I am filled with emotion and find the courage to overcome difficulties and pursue success. Truly, success is no simple feat; behind the brilliant reality, few understand the bitterness and hardships others endured before reaching their peak. Every successful flower needs the tears of struggle as nourishment and the blood of sacrifice for irrigation. The process of success is also the process of personal growth, and on the road of growing up, storms and rain are always our companions.
The path of growth is fraught with storms, bumps, and hardships. As we walk this path, we may be tripped up by mud or blinded by the rain. But to achieve success, we must possess the will, courage, and passion to embrace the storms and navigate the difficulties of life.
I remember when I was a child, my family raised chickens. As the time approached for the chicks to hatch, I would squat by the eggs to watch. My mother told me that the chicks inside had begun to peck at their shells. I was fortunate enough to witness the process of a chick emerging from its sealed shell; every step was so difficult, and every peck seemed to require all its strength to break even a tiny piece of the shell. When they first emerged, the chicks looked quite unappealing, with only a few sparse, wet feathers. However, strangely enough, by the next day, they no longer looked so unsightly; in fact, they were quite adorable. They were no longer bare but covered in soft feathers, round and lively, with dark eyes darting about as they chirped and wandered, full of vitality. I marveled at how they completed such a magnificent transformation overnight.
Suddenly, a whimsical idea occurred to me: letting the chicks peck the shell themselves seemed too slow and taxing for such young, fragile lives. Would it be better if I opened the shells for them and pulled them out directly? So, I quietly peeled the shell for a chick that was struggling to peck and marked its leg with a thread. I later learned that I was not the only child who had thought and acted this way.
After the chicks hatched, I observed my "masterpiece" every day. However, I noticed that this particular chick was listless, walked slowly, and was often crowded by other chicks. One day, I discovered that the chick had died in a corner. I felt a profound sense of guilt and deep self-reproach for the mistake I had made.
As I grew older, I finally understood that simple truth: in the most critical moments of life, one must rely on one's own strength to peck through the eggshell of fate. It is a process of accumulating energy and tempering one's will. If one takes a shortcut, cracks will appear in the growth process, which may become a weakness in life later on. In other words, certain growths, certain storms, and certain experiences must be experienced firsthand; certain pains, certain hardships, and certain muddles must be overcome personally. Moreover, most people's lives do not afford the conditions or opportunities to take such shortcuts.
This reminded me of another scene. In front of my childhood window, there was an empty plot of land covered in lush, green grass. Later, when my family needed stones to build a house, this empty space became the perfect place to pile them up. In a single day, the lush greenery vanished, leaving only a pile of cold stones. A month later, after the stones were moved, the land was vacant again, but the grass was gone, leaving only broken stone debris and a desolate landscape with nothing but coarse roots remaining. I thought that with so many stones pressing down, such vibrant green would never grow there again.
As time passed, winter went by. When spring arrived the following year, I unexpectedly saw tender yellow buds sprouting from the grass roots beneath the stones. I had little hope, thinking they couldn't possibly grow under such heavy pressure, so I didn't pay much attention. To my amazement, two weeks later, when I opened my window, I was greeted by a vista of green. That neglected plot of land had become lush and verdant once more; the stones that once covered it were now overtaken by grass. I was astonished by its resilience and strength. For the grass, that must have been the harsite environment, with little soil between the crevices of the stones. Yet, it did not wither or disappear; its fresh leaves signaled a bursting vitality.
These two experiences remain etched in my memory, growing more meaningful with time. In my own journey of growth, I will undoubtedly encounter "eggshells" that hinder me or "stones" that limit my development. But so what? No matter what hardships or misfortunes I encounter, I firmly believe they are only temporary. As long as there is belief in the heart, there will be the strength to move forward; I do not fear pain, only the loss of fortitude; I do not fear hardship, only the loss of hope. With hope in heart, life is like spring; by carrying burdens forward, life gains texture.
Life is a long journey, often filled with various encounters—academic confusion, betrayal by friends, family changes, or the pain of heartbreak. Facing the various tribulations of life, we must become strong. Hardship is both an emotional experience and a physical ordeal, but it is also a filter for life. By not fearing it, we can relax our spirits and filter a calm mind from a burdened body. Hardship can be a curse, but it can also be a blessing, as it tempers our will. Only through the twists and turns of life can a person's value be fully realized. Only by crossing through difficulties can we understand the meaning of life, thereby learning to love and cherish it even more.
The process of growth consists of two layers: struggle and transformation. Struggle and confusion are the norms of youth; only by learning to be strong can we leave precious memories for our lives in the name of youth. All sorrows are merely simple notes decorating a long melody; all desolation is merely wild flowers by the roadside, dotting the long journey of life.
The path of growth is accompanied by wind and rain, but by bathing in them, one eventually witnesses the rainbow. With hope in heart and faith held firm, through hard work, one can finally push through the clouds to see the bright moon.
