Several years ago, barren land took foot upon foot of snow as blizzard after blizzard pounded the landscape. No plant could grow and no creature could venture throughout. But one day in February, a daffodil decided it had had enough of hiding in the ground. It would surface and survive this tundra.

Day after day, it exerted all the strength it had to force itself through the frozen dirt. When it broke through to the surface, it then spent day after day fighting its way through the inches of ice. With perseverance and no help from the sun, the daffodil miraculously made it through. And when it finished climbing, it made sure to show off its yellow magnificence to all that could see.

Except, no one could see it. No one was around. As soon as the daffodil spread its petals, they froze, sending winter chills all the way to the bulb. The daffodil died.

Months later, when the weather subsided enough to allow for a proper bloom, daffodils everywhere rose from the ground and displayed their yellow magnificence. Upon basking in the sun, one of the daffodils looked to its right and saw the failed attempt of that daffodil that attempted to bloom during the winter.

It shook its petals from side to side.

“That was a stupid way to die,” said the daffodil with disappointment. “No wonder the roses think we’re idiots.”