This story inspires kids (and parents!) to embrace the power of self-love and inner growth over seeking happiness from external things. Follow the journey of a young girl who forgets about the radiant flower blooming inside her, instead growing a fake plastic flower that thrives on toys, trophies, and achievements.
Once upon a time, there lived a girl who had the most beautiful flower inside her heart. It had all the colors of the universe in every single petal , and it bloomed bigger and brighter every single day.
As she grew up, her mind wanted to create an even bigger flower, and so it did. It tried to create the same types of colors in every single petal , and it made it so big that it didn’t have space to live inside of her; instead, it lived outside of her – surrounding her. It wasn’t real though – it was hard, instead of soft, rather like a fake flower that is made out of plastic. This lovely girl stopped paying attention to the flower within her, which made the fake flower outside of her grow bigger and bigger. It got bigger when she bought new toys. It got bigger when she won a trophy. It got bigger when she got the best grades in her class. She started to get addicted to this fake flower. But something was different: her happiness with this fake flower wouldn’t last too long. She would feel good for a few minutes or even a full day, but then the feeling of joy would go away.
Meanwhile, the lovely flower within her started to wilt. It tried to get her attention, but it wasn’t as loud and as big as the fake flower. And the more the girl ignored it, the smaller it got, until the flower was no longer there.
Then came a particularly bad day. She received the worst grades in her class, her parents didn’t buy her the toy she’d been begging for, and she finished last in a race—no trophy, no applause. The plastic flower outside of her shrank so much it was smaller than her pinky toe. She felt sad, alone, and very, very angry.
That evening, she decided to go to one of her favorite places in the world – the beach. There, she sat by the water for a while and took deep breaths and visited her feelings. Something magical started to happen: she felt a sturdy calmness that she hadn’t felt in a very long while. You see, the seed from the flower within her was still there, and that day, the ocean from the beach was able to reach that flower and water its soil, which woke up the seed, and it started to get some strength to grow.
The next morning, she woke up bright and early and noticed how radiant the sunlight was. Drawn outside, she climbed her favorite tree to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. The sun nourished the seed within her inner flower even more, and it began to sprout. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a peaceful, steady hope—a quiet joy that didn’t depend on anything outside of her.
Later that day, she joined her friends for a game of hopscotch and her all-time favorite activity—jump roping while singing rhymes. She became so lost in the laughter and movement that she had to stop and catch her breath. As she stood there, breathing deeply, something incredible happened: the flower inside her fully bloomed.
“Woah!” She whispered to herself. She felt INTENSE JOY. It felt safe – constant and dependable , like a calm river flowing inside her. It felt much truer than the fake flower – which was more like a rollercoaster – with really high highs and really low lows.
She loved this feeling and she wanted more of it.
From that day on, she worked hard to grow her inner flower. She knew the difference now. When she earned good grades, won a trophy, or received a new toy, she appreciated those moments but they didn’t get to control her happiness. These were all fake flowers that were not real. And she knew how to be happy with them AND without them.
And so, she grew more powerful. The plastic flower still existed, but it no longer ruled her. Her inner flower grew stronger and brighter to the point where some people could even see actual light glowing around her as she walked by.
