{Saguaro Cactus- The symbol of Arizona and the southwest, pronounced "sah-wah-ro." Blossoms in May and June, and "lives" to be about 200 years old!}
Since C and I moved to the desert southwest, we have seen an abundance of these types of cactus. There are many other types, shapes, sizes and blossoms that come from those cacti or "cactuses," but I feel the ultimate symbolism which comes from a Saguaro is so beautiful.
Every time we go hiking we see these cactuses and I ALWAYS tell C that the ones with multiple arms and "whacky" looking arms in all different directions are my FAVORITE! They have such character. Then again I also have respect for those 50 foot tall Saguaros that are straight up with either no arms, or only a couple that are "picture perfect" pointed towards the sky. I find myself day dreaming about how life, mother nature, the elements, etc have "etched" their fingerprints into these beautiful creations. This is where the idea of a saguaro cactus becoming a simile for life as humans came from.
Lets step back and think of all the creative analogies:
*A saguaro cactus, under the right conditions, can grow VERY tall (over many years) and thrive in it's environment, just like humans.
* A saguaro cactus can have "holes" or "scars" all over due to the woodpecker birds and many other creatures or elements that "rely" on the cactus for nutrition or that wear down the outer spines. In my mind I think of mothers; all of those hard working and nurturing mamas out there who GIVE GIVE GIVE all day for their babies. If they are nursing, they are literally relied on for food and nutrition. After pregnancy, moms can be left with scars on their bodies, and after countless nights without sleep and stressing about EVERYTHING they are worn out and sometimes their arms (among with other body parts haha) start to fall and hang low.
All of these scars, moments of nurturing and long nights give you CHARACTER and are making you more tough by the day. Don't give up mamas! You got this.
*A saguaro cactus can have many arms. I can see this as a "family tree" so to speak. A family or just a couple in love, recently married, and ready to have a baby starts to "grow" one of those arms to their tree. Or like C and I~ fur babies! We have 2 arms on our cactus/family tree right now. As life grows, so do these arms. If your cactus/tree is only the 1 base, straight up and proud, that is also a beautiful life. MAKE YOUR LIFE BEAUTIFUL, JUST THE WAY YOU WANT IT.
*A Saguaro cactus has a flower that blooms in early summer. It is such a fun thing to see. For life as a human, there may be only a couple times a year that you REALLY bloom. That's ok. That's what makes you unique. Just don't lose sight of the reason's you bloom, you grow, you thrive. Be grateful for the elements in your life that allow this transformation, and if you are struggling with an aspect of your life that needs to grow or develop, reach out for help.
So my finishing thought on this subject of Saguaro Cactuses is to let your "story" shine through the scars, the blossoms in life, and the arms you grow or don't grow!
Make it your story and be proud to show it off!
Xoxo
E
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