When things are tightly in bud you can’t really tell what you will get as they unfold. This bud could produce a colorful, ruffled flower or something that more closely resembles a pinecone.
When have things unfolded for you in a way that you found completely surprising?
Years ago I would attend Protestant churches of different denominations, never feeling comfortable, and at times angry that the sentiments I experienced were damaging to me. A friend suggested Unitarianism and in Kansas City, MO, there was a sizeable congregation that I discovered. Since then I have been a staunch member of several churches or groups of UUs as I have found them. For a period of time, when I was isolated from a group, I belonged to CLF, as I do again, although I am fortunate to live where there is an active but small group of UUs to which I belong and contribute my talents. A beginning that at the time took me by surprise; now grateful to have been on this journey.
Your thought-provoking articles hit the mark with “In the bud.” I’m sure many of your readers are writers as well. I can only speak about the writing of poetry from personal experience, but these often start out as a “bud,” an observation which has yet to blossom into full form. These often take a direction of their own once undertaken, and it can be surprising even to the writer. The nature metaphor is most apt.
I want to add that the same type of budding experience has happened to me. This process has happened when I have had a glimpse of an idea, then started a painting and have been quite surprised at the final outcome.