If you’re like me, you rely daily on an illusion of control. For most of us, the last five months have shattered that illusion.

This week I did some searching, and amidst the muck of unexpected difficulties and the slime of impossible decisions, I found some unexpected beauty and meaning blossoming—flowers fertilized by all the sh*t we have been wading through, blooms I never would have seen if all had gone according to my plan.

Here is what I found.