My mother-in-law was staying with us a little over a month ago for her birthday. My husband bought her a bouquet of flowers, but when she was putting them in the vase, one of the flowers broke off. I took this little orphaned carnation, put it in a small vase, and set it by my kitchen sink for a little pink cheerfulness. It has been there for 34 days.

Now that’s a hardy flower. If I had done the same thing with a rose, I assure you it would not have lasted 34 days. Why are some things hardier than others? What makes something or someone hardy? Plants are hardy, but people who exhibit similar qualities or behaviors are defined as strong, tough, resilient, tenacious, unyielding, etc. Carnations and roses sadly don’t get to determine their hardiness—it’s a function of their make-up as well as their environment. People, on the other hand, will have a base-line hardiness that is a function of their make-up and their environment, but then they can become even hardier simply by choosing to be so.

What does hardy mean to you? Where in your life are you like the rose, when you really want to be more like the carnation. Look, I get it—the rose is far more beautiful, but sometimes it’s really important for us to be hardy so that growth and success can come our way. Give it some thought today. We are not limited in our hardiness—it’s a choice. Maybe we just need to choose to be hardier.

With Gratitude,

Beth